Progress to redevelop Lichfield city centre has been criticised by a councillor.
Preparatory work began last week on the Birmingham Road Site which has sat empty since the failure of the long-awaited Friarsgate scheme.
Checks have been carried out to identify any potential contamination on the former Tempest Ford site, with the leader of Lichfield District Council saying the local authority was “pressing ahead” with the with redevelopment plans.
But Cllr Paul Ray, Liberal Democrat representative for Chadsmead ward, said progress had been too slow, branding the recent works as “window dressing”.
“Cllr Doug Pullen says he is pressing ahead with plans for the redevelopment of Birmingham Road Site, but there has been glacial progress. He and the Conservative council needs to make things happen here.
“I am on a task group on Lichfield District Council scrutinising this development and trying to get some progress. Let’s hope my pressure pays off and some real progress starts soon.”
Cllr Paul Ray, Lichfield District Council
Cllr Ray has previously called for the council to get building on plans to create housing and flats on the site in order to help tackle the affordable housing crisis.
Independent Chadsmead representative Cllr Joanne Grange said her ward colleagues views on the site meant she hoped his calls for work to start went unheard.
“Let’s hope the pressure doesn’t pay off, because all I’ve heard is Cllr Ray’s desire to ram houses on the site.
“I’d much rather the task group actually listened to people about what the site should be used for. If he listened, I very much doubt he’d hear a majority saying ‘yes please, more houses’, but instead he might hear the complete opposite.
“In the absence of a compelling reason to do anything, doing nothing except turfing it, planting trees and leaving it as open space should be top of the list of things to do – but I guess that wouldn’t look good on anyone’s election leaflets.”
Cllr Joanne Grange, Lichfield District Council
But Cllr Ray said his view was a realistic one on how the land would be used going forward.
“I appreciate that there is real sensitivity with the building of homes in the area, but I want to be honest and open with residents with my views on this. That does not mean that we should cram the site with houses. The site must be developed in a sympathetic way and with plenty of space.
“I accept that there will be a number of homes on the Birmingham Road Site because without that the council will just not have the money to fund the things we want – anew bus station, public open space etc. Lichfield District Council owns the land and so the sales money all goes to Lichfield District Council.
“Also and – most importantly – we must ensure that facilities are increased for the new homes being built such as GP surgeries and schools.
“When I speak to residents they often tell me that they are not against new homes being built, but they are very concerned that the facilities are not sufficient to support them. I totally agree.”
Cllr Paul Ray, Lichfield District Council
But Cllr Grange said the need to pay for new facilities was a “circular argument”.
“So where’s this new bus station that is ‘badly needed’ going to go? And why is it ‘badly needed’ other than because Lichfield District Council are planning to build on the existing bus station that’s in exactly the right place between Lichfield City Station and the city centre?
“It’s a bit of a circular argument really – we need a new bus station because we’re going to build on the old one, and we can’t afford a new one without building over it.”
Cllr Joanne Grange, Lichfield District Council
Cllr Ray comes across as one of those the folks that would rate themselves 11 out of 10. Surely as a member of the the ‘task group’ he could have been applying pressure years ago. No council member regardless of party politics looks good on this particular issue. They’re all a massive let down. Cllr Ray wants housing on the site. LDC wants to move a bus station in the the right place to build a new bus station in the wrong place. For pity sake just turn it into community open space like a walled garden with multiple uses. We have loads of empty retail, people buy on line anyway now and we don’t want more old folk flats built. Get real all of you.
Totally agree with Joanne Grange.
Cllr Paul Ray (and indeed Cllr Doug Pullen) is living on another planet if he thinks the majority of Lichfield’s people want social housing on Friarsgate, or indeed any type of housing. What a wasted opportunity we’re being faced with here. If there’s no funds to do anything exciting or ambitious with this site, then turn it into gardens/public open space and leave it that way until there is the money available.
@Cllr Grange, you talk so much sense, you will be such a sad loss to common sense on the Council when you stand down at the next elections
Could the LDC please inform the electorate of the new location of the Bus Station.
Does anyone know where this proposed New Bus Station is going to be, including the Council…?
What an absolute fiasco.
More houses, no improvement in the infrastructure to carry more residents. Cart before Horse comes to mind.
The bus station is a short walk from the city centre shops and a short walk walk from the train station. It’s a very good place to put a bus station. There is nowhere better to put a bus station. So shut up about moving the bus station and concentrate on sorting out the where Tempest Ford used to be preferably by doing what Joanne Grange suggested with grass and trees. Either that or everyone on the Council still talking about moving the bus station do the city a favour and resign so we can replace you with people capable of action instead of talking nonsense.
The new bus station is going on the site of the Friary ruins, opposite the old library
Doug Pullen might think that with local elections coming up we will be fooled by this last-minute activity at the Tempest Ford site but we all know and, more importantly, he knows that he is a failed politician.
I might be missing something here, but has the population of this country suddenly trebled? How many more houses do we need, or is it just a case of making money? This area has had a terrible recent history. We were going to have a new covered shopping mall, but then the Kuwaiti funding disappeared when the Gulf War broke out. We were going to get a new multi -storey carpark (it was even closed for a year over structural concerns). But it’s still there, and not fit for purpose. Then the Friarsgate site was cleared, including driving out a longstanding business, before discovering there wasn’t any funding. Unbelievable. How much longer is this farce going to carry on?
@ John Allen… I’m afraid it doesn’t finish there. The ‘Local Plan’, with all its ills , expires in 2029. It will be replaced with the 2029 to 2040 plan. This was agreed in 2015 (you might have missed it). It incorporates a further 9000 houses in this area. 2000 of these will be from Birminghams allocation as they were unable to meet their commitment and Lichfield was obliged to absorb them into its plan. You might be interested to see the plan and the areas affected.
One aspect that amused me was the protected housing density status given to Little Aston. All other areas are filled like a beehive. Where will it end? When there is nothing left to fill !
Why on earth couldn’t the work determining and then dealing with industrial contamination on the ‘Friarsgate’ site have started as soon as the site was erroneously raised to the ground?
The ineptitude of the District Council is beyond belief. We now have more delay and, no doubt, with a current 10% inflation rate, it will be a more expensive job than it would have been. Still, it’s only council tax payers’ money. Hopefully, the May council elections will turf out at least some of those responsible for this gross mismanagement.