A previously unseen report into changes to on-street parking in Lichfield due to a city centre pedestrianisation trial has highlighted concerns over the changes.
Lichfield District Council introduced an Experimental Traffic Regulation Order which restricts access to Market Street, Tamworth Street, Conduit Street, Breadmarket Street and Bore Street.
The move also meant the permanent relocation of on-street blue badge bays to nearby car parks.
A report into the changes was only released following the demands from campaigners at a public meeting which took place in April.
The previously unseen document – dated October 2022 and commissioned by Lichfield District Council – details the current parking situation and offers recommendations which would make the move “reasonable”.
However it does warn that the proposals could be challenged – and in that case it would be up to the courts to decide if the policy would be acceptable.
The report states:
“There would be no reduction in the number of spaces, there were 36 on-street parking bays and 36 of these would be relocated to alternative car parks around the city.
“The re-provision would be in Bird Street Car Park and Cross Keys Car Park. Bird Street Car Park is approximately 70 metres from Bird Street itself and approximately 55 metres from Market Street, one of the main shopping streets. Cross Keys is approximately 130 metres from the adjacent Market Square.”
However, the report recommends that seating should be placed every 50 metres to enable rest breaks if needed.
“Potentially confusing”
The council’s own equality impact assessment notes that both Bird Street and Lombard Street car parks exceed the 50 metre recommendation.
Additionally the report recommends that “vital” signage to car parks should be implemented and pedestrian routes are accessible and clearly signposted.
The document is also critical of Lombard Street Car Park, detailing how tactile paving at the foot of the ramp is “potentially confusing”. Additionally the ramp at the upper deck is branded “steeper and longer” than best practice.
The report concludes:
“An appraisal from a map would suggest that the proposed removal of the Bore Street and other on-street spaces and their relocation to more remote car parks would be unreasonable.
“It is concluded that, provided the Cross Keys roadside spaces are replaced and the undertaking to improve dropped kerb provision from that area, as well as general improvements recommended within this document, the proposals are likely to be considered ‘reasonable’ for the city centre.”
Lichfield resident and campaigner Barbara Porter has now appealed for decision-makers to look again at the project. She said:
“Please, old and new Lichfield councillors, look afresh at this project.
“Take on board the contents of the AccessAble report and calculate the costs of putting right all the amendments to the current disabled facilities and note the large number of signatures to the petitions to reinstate the Bore Street on-street parking.”
Just shows how the council try and do things secretly
It’s a good job we’ve got campaigners like Barbara Porter, keeping an eye on things
Like where they were planning to move the bus station to, top secret, till just before the Elections
Like the Blue bags, no consultations done
I’ll sit back and get the popcorn to watch these comments roll in!
It’s not just the elderly and disabled it will effect. Businesses will struggle as how are they supposed to get deliveries? Delivery companies cannot all deliver at the same time, independent business will probably disappear and big chains will go elsewhere.
If normal people with no dissabilities have the very opportunities then it’s dam well about time to support us disabled, to be able to seek bit easier and enforce normal people to actually use the carparks situated…..
Wouldn’t effect deliveries as they do them every morning before they open shops, so nobody can make excuses when all you’d see is normal people’s vehicles parked which stumps them much more!!! Nothing is impossible to deal with supporting us disabled people, it’s the matters enforcing normal people to use available carparks……..
Lichfield is 99.9% OAP’s/ old people with health issues. To remove their parking when it’s then that keep the town going is ridiculous. Town us coffee shops and candle shops. That’s it. Nobody under 65 wants to go there lol
The subterfuge, lack of transparency and total disrespect for blue badge holders shown by the Council is appalling. It is now clear that the Council chose to ignore the advice that they they commissioned at our expense. Campaigners who care about defending the rights of the disabled have spent months questioning and challenging this ill thought through policy. Many of those who have campaigned are either living with disability or caring for someone with a disability. They have been treated shoddily by this Council. Emails have gone unanswered, consultations have not happened in advance of decisions being made and have been carefully constructed to restrict free and open debate. Equality Impact Assessments have not been done to inform the decision making process. The Council now need to apologise to blue badge holders and re-instate the Bore Street blue badge parking.
The report also stated Lichfield was the only city in the UK to allow traffic through its town against the wishes of the majority of the residents ? But we all know that including the Blue Badge Brigade.
Stop messing around install the ANPR cameras and let’s make the city safe for goodness sake.
@Mrs Partridge: “The report also stated Lichfield was the only city in the UK to allow traffic through its town against the wishes of the majority of the residents ?” Have you got a link to the report so that we can all verify this rather peculiar statement?
Being a blue badge hold does not make you in financial hardship. If the minority are holding up safety for all, a pleasant town to walk through and business development for all the business or want and future, – make them pay for parking and maybe a large premium for it being in the areas we all shop
@mrs partridge clearly has no idea how people with mobility issues struggle to enjoy the benefits that fit and healthy people enjoy. Lichfield has a large older population. Just look at the amount of accommodation in the city designed for the older community. You may be infirm in your later years and will need to become one of the Blue Badge Brigade! Hopefully you’ll take more sympathetic view when you need a little assistance.
Whom ever did this report clearly doesn’t live in Lichfield and im questioning even if their from this planet. Theyve missed out a bunch of carparks that offer much more convenient locations for blue badge holders such as Backcester Lane carpark, multi storey carpark on Birmingham road, bus station carpark, also the Greenhill carpark and there are more. In incompetent of doing a simple assesment when Google Maps is at your finger tips. Ive lived in Lichfield all my life and to read such nonsense astounds me but does not suprise me coming from the Torie ruled council. No suprise though that I already see many comments already from the frustrated locals who lost their favourite parking space outside their favourite cafe. Well im afriad the younger generations don’t want your cars smog over their food or even you running them down while trying to reverse in a pedestrianised area. The amount of alternative parking around the town centre is pefectly fine for anyone. Move on.
I have had a very interesting reply from the Department of Transport today and received advice from the Equality Advisory Support Service which I will raise with LDC. DfT says their guidance is clear in reallocating road space and…….”the needs of disabled people MUST be taken into account”. Also “Disabled people have a legal right to challenge employers and service providers to respect this obligation and, if they believe they may have been discriminated against, can contact the EASS.”
There are laws in place to protect those disadvantaged by disability which affects ALL ages, not just the elderly. Blue Badges ARE NOT a privilege but a necessity and acquired on strict medical criteria. Just remember not ALL conditions are visible.
Lichfield should welcome ALL people into its tiny city and make it easy, not difficult, that way it will thrive and grow to everyone’s benefit, including our valued shops, businesses and associated medical outlets housed mainly in Bore Street.
Another brainless idea from Pullen and the gang who seem to want to destroy the Lichfield footfall and commercial economy
Looks like Local Man misses the whole point of the discussion. Yes there are other car parks in Lichfield but if you check the criteria they are all too far away for someone with mobility issues to WALK ! That’s the whole point. As for the comment about smog I think he needs to get his facts straight. The volume of traffic parking in Bore St (which is NOT pedestrianised) is tiny and I’m pretty sure no one has ever been mown down ! I doubt if any of the blue badge holders or the people who drive them are boy racers and I’d be very surprised if the younger generation would make use of any of the services available in Bore Street . I’ve never seen the younger generation using the Tudor Cafe,or solicitors,or estate agents or the jewellers! I think my previous comment covers it, hopefully neither you or your family ever suffer mobility issues but if you do I’m sure you’ll be the first to shout about lack of facilities.
@Barbara Porter, Where has the council been discriminate in making logical decision on moving cars from going through and parking in a pedestrianised area. The parking where youve been allocated is where all others park except, blue badge holders, your at the front. So perhaps disabled parking should be more mingled in with the others would that satisfy you instead? The disabled parking has not been moved as far as this report even claims it to be, don’t believe me? go measure it for yourself. To me and the majority only see your complaining to the council cause youve got nothing else better to do and the simple fact your just not happy about having to park further away. No one is being discriminative but yourself.
@Alan W, Do you use Google before making such claims? Try “hit by car in town centre lichfield” then come back. As for my comment on smog, Lichfield has a high air pollution. The annual average of the pollutant PM2.5 in Lichfield City Centre is 10.69mcg/m3. The World Health Organization limit is 5mcg/m3. Think before you type, check your argument and keep your spiteful nonsense to yourself, cause I too am disabled, I use crutches but see commonsense in the coucil decision and support it. One of the very few good decisions the Tories have done….since many, many years.
Oh dear. Local man still missing the point. He lists all the car parks available in Lichfield and quotes statistics on air pollution (Smog?) and believes stopping a trickle of cars through the city centre as the solution to the problem! Where does he think this pollution comes from? Surely not all the traffic that runs through Lichfield via the Birmingham road or Walsall road or even to the numerous car parks? If he wants clean air in Lichfield then maybe All vehicles should be banned from the centre. No cars, no delivery vans, no businesses, no shops , no employment, no car parks! He can then enjoy the deserted streets at his leisure.
So Mrs Partridge also joins the prejudice against blue badge holders.
@Alan W, Im suprised at your logic, so much that ive already fell out my chair laughing twice. Ill make my stance clear rather then your own assumption.
40+ vehicles a day, not a trickle . Some shops have no choice but to have their deliveries come into the town centre because of their location, such as the convenice store opposite from mc donalds. Yet early morning or late in evenings for their deliveries preventing traffic being around a busy pedestrianised area during store opening hours makes sense, safer etc. As for parking during opening times around pedestrians well thats just complete an utter commonsense to ban. Parking in town should be in the carparks. An what helps combat pollution is trees and green which they is very little of in most of these carparks. Yet don’t forget all new cars are to be electrified by 2030 was announced many years ago by the goverment. So that too will drop pollution a moderate amount within the car parks. What was your point? Cause its changed.
Local man is delusional! 40 cars a day is a trickle compared to the volume of traffic coming through Lichfield from the Walsall Road.
At what point were my comments spiteful in anyway?
My comments relate to Bore st which is not pedestrianised.
Unless you restrict all vehicle movements you will have no impact on air quality. That’s my point.
Just moving 36 parking spaces will have no impact.
Personal insults don’t help. We’re all entitled to an opinion and mine is different to yours.