The lack of progress on the former Friarsgate site cannot be excused, a Lichfield local election candidate has said.
Sections of the site of the failed city centre redevelopment project – later rebranded as the Birmingham Road Site – remain boarded up despite promises of a new mixed use development.
Cllr Miles Trent, who is standing as a Liberal Democrat candidate for Chadsmead ward at the Lichfield District Council, said the current stalemate was not good enough.
“The Birmingham Road site opposite Lichfield City Station has been a blight on the city since the collapse of the Friarsgate development.
“For the last five years the area has remained a boarded-up wasteland, offering a terrible first impression to visitors arriving by train to our wonderful city.
“Many residents have told us that this simply isn’t good enough and that they want to see tangible progress.
“This is a key issue by which the Conservatives must be judged as the May election approaches.”
Cllr Miles Trent
The Friarsgate project had been a decade in the planning before eventually biting the dust when it emerged funding was not in place to make the scheme a reality.
An alternative proposal for the land – which includes the bus station, former police station, multi-storey car park and one-time Tempest Ford site – had proposed a mixed use development including a cinema.
But with work taking place to build a multi-screen cinema in the neighbouring former Debenhams unit, full details of what the Birmingham Road Site will look like have yet to be finalised.
Cllr Trent, who currently represents Chadsmead ward on Lichfield City Council, said:
“The Conservative-run Lichfield District Council continues to drag its feet over the future of the site.
“We have witnessed an endless round of consultations that never seem to lead to any action.
“Several million pounds have been wasted – and nothing has been started. There have been no initial enabling works, and nor is there even a funding strategy in place.
“It appears that the Conservatives’ sole achievement so far has been to change the name of the area from ‘Friarsgate’ to ‘the Birmingham Road Site’ and then to ‘Birmingham Road Gateway’.”
Cllr Miles Trent
“Tangible action”
Cllr Trent said action rather than words were now needed on the former Friarsgate site to bring the saga to an end.
“The Lichfield Lib Dems support a mixed-use development at this site, which should include public open spaces as well as a leisure offering.
“Any residential building on the site should not be more ‘high-end’ retirement living but should instead focus on affordable housing for young people, families and key workers, possibly as apartments above retail and commercial premises.
“The design must also consider the climate emergency and energy crisis, so the Lib Dems would insist on buildings built to high energy efficiency standards, and would encourage consideration of a district heating system which could provide a sustainable energy source for the site.
“The Lib Dems also support the redesign of the area outside Lichfield City train station to improve pedestrian safety.
“A vote for the Liberal Democrats in May will be a vote for change, and a vote for tangible action at the Birmingham Road Gateway.”
Cllr Miles Trent
The at a glance list of candidates for the Chadsmead ward at Lichfield District Council:
Joanne Grange
Independent
Elaine Hutchings
Conservatives
Paul Jones
Conservatives
Paul Ray
Liberal Democrats
Reading between the lines, a vote for the Lib Dems is a vote for social housing on Friarsgate. No thanks.
How sad has this been? A once proud city council unable to respond to a situation they instigated themselves. Councillors making hollow promises. Housing developers hovering vulture like waiting for their chance.
I used to love Lichfield and had pride in its history and heritage. The last decade and more has steadily eroded this. Not just Friasgate but much other that most long term residents would recognise. It is probably too late now. I just waste my time now bemoaning the loss of what we had.
Work is underway!!! Doug Pullen said so!! He said that there would be visible progress by the end of… (reads notes)… ah, 2022.
Whenever I see the pictures on the hoardings around this site, I think to myself ‘that looks a nice place, I wonder where it is?’
Not voting Tory in any election now. Lichfield deserves better & no matter who gets in they can’t do much harm in 1 term. Time for change
Ned’s putting back to a garage which employed people and served the community? Knocking it down was a disgrace without having all the boxes ticked and signatures present !!!
Labour would no doubt build HMO’s on the site ?
Turf, trees and a few benches is all it needs. Not mixed-use anything, and certainly not 100 houses and flats as previously suggested by the Lib Dems. Unless and until there is a compelling case to do anything, turf and trees is the way to go. It’s a precious gateway site and it would be terrible to do anything as unimaginative as building yet more identikit boxes on it.
It could end up becoming a tourist attraction at this rate, quite handy having a train and bus station next to it. Come one come all and try and guess what local politicians are telling us this site could be this week. As a clue all answers should include housing, ideally the majority of the site.
@Joanne Grange Quite. All that needs doing, all that needed doing many years ago, was it very simply being turned into a nice area to be, a nice area to pass through or by, a nice area to look at. Surely that shouldn’t be beyond the imagination or capabilities of anyone.
I’ll vote for someone who promises to turn the wasteland in to a park area and leave the bus station alone. Plans to redevelop the site that include building over the bus station will never happen until somewhere else is found for the bus station and there is nowhere else to put it. Everyone with a hand in creating the wasteland needs removing from power.
The blue hoardings all over the District, will they be repainted the colour of the majority of the Council after Mays election.
Fed up with Blue hoardings everywhere!
Keep the bus station. Keep the multi-storey car park. Put the new leisure centre on the old Tempest Ford site. There’s enough housing being built around the outskirts of Lichfield. It’s not appropriate for a prime city centre site. And stop selling off public open spaces which will only end up being built on.
Nice water fountain and grass is both affordable and in keeping with the City ? Make the bus stop smaller and more trees & grass
Certainly No Houses or Retirement Homes !!!
We have enough houses etc now built or being constructed to last several generations.
I have a friend that lives at St John’s and their first-floor flat overlooks the Friarsgate/Birmingham Road non-development and it’s certainly been no ‘room with a view’ for the past, what is it 5-years, All that can be seen is a mound of earth bedecked with weeds and there is no doubt it will be all that is seen for probably the next decade just with more weeds.