COUNCIL chiefs hope a new sign will attract more visitors to Lichfield by offering them a special photo opportunity.
The giant letters spelling out the name of the city have been placed in Beacon Park with Lichfield Cathedral providing the backdrop.
It was created by Burntwood-based Staffordshire Signs for Lichfield District Council and paid for through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
A spokesperson for the council said:
“These 3D city signs have become popular features in tourist destinations around the world.
“In the age of social media, they also offer valuable branding opportunities for smaller cities.
“We hope this new addition will help inspire civic pride and attract even more visitors to our beautiful district.”
The letters form part of a broader £100,000 project to enhance public spaces in Lichfield and Burntwood.
Other improvements under the scheme include new planters, bunting, decorative bollard covers, a new mural and enhanced street cleaning.
The spokesperson added:
“Civic pride plays a vital role in shaping vibrant and resilient communities.
“When people feel proud of where they live it strengthens local identity, boosts community wellbeing and inspires people to take care of shared spaces.
“This project is about building that connection and encouraging everyone to be part of Lichfield’s ongoing story.”
Ok family, where shall we go for a day out? I know – let’s go to Lichfield so we can stand in front of some big white letters that say Lichfield and have a very distant picture of a cathedral, said no-one. I’ll give it a week until it’s destroyed.
Great idea. Please let there not be any graffiti or vandalism of this new sign.
What a way to waste money…i know, we know, even the pigeons know we are in Lichfield. Well done LDC…another waste of money.
Just spoils the view of the Cathedral. I hope it didn’t cost much and is not a permanent feature. It may serve as an advertisement, but it can’t be characterised as an “enhancement”.
Let’s just wait for the graffiti and the council do nothing. Conservation areas all over the City, unless it involves graffiti. Figure that out.
Wouldn’t it have been better hung between the two west towers of the cathedral? If you want to go ‘Hollywood’ why hold back?
Well at least they managed to spell it right, unlike the road signs around Leomansley!!
I’ll be honest, I double checked the date of the article to see if I’d missed it from the 1st of the month.
How about spending some money cleaning all the graffiti. It’s literally everywhere now. Place is a total eyesore. And putting up some cameras to catch these cretins and force them to clean it off themselves!
Let’s go to Lichfield and sit in endless queues of traffic 🤔
To many big shop names have gone only charity shops and cafes left not much else to come for
I bet some letters go missing or are vandalised. Odds on favourite, the L and the F.
Lichfield get the recognition and Burntwood, well at least one of ours got to make it!
Maybe Chasewater could have been another opportunity?
Or maybe that’s too far away from the City Centre
What an utter waste of money. I hate to imagine how much it costs…
Obviously a waste of space and money😊until Banksy turns up with his spray gun. Assuming he gets through the roadworks and traffic jams.🤔
I note the comments about graffiti, this is on the increase in the city. There seems to be an exponential link between the expansion of Lichfield and and declining standards.
What an utter waste of time and money. The residents of Lichfield need a proper working hospital. Not a sign that says we live in Lichfield.
The font and colour are awful
.Full marks to Lichfield Live for the extensive coverage of the quotations emanating from Lichfield D C. They have to be seen to be believed and to wonder if some Departments have totally lost any sense of reality.
Some one seems to have been incapable of finding a meaningful use for their wodge of the “UK Shared Prosperity Fund”.
Their childhood clearly failed to include reading Hans Christian Anderson’s story of the “Emperor’s New Clothes”, which might have improved their worldly perspective and how to use budgets with purpose.
I know many friends and family who won’t visit Lichfield because of the price of parking . If they try their usual long stay , they can no longer get one as short stayers are now using long stay purely on the cost .
I live in Lichfield and am put off by the cost . I have problems shopping in Tesco as so many people mow use that to park on .
I also agree with the comments on the endless roadworks that sprout up, its a real pain to get across the City .
Enhancement my Derry Air.
Kids will love it as a Climbing Frame. Can hide behind and use as a WC
Pigeons will love it to Display their Graffiti along with Budding Banksys
Completely obliterates a Lovely View of the Cathedral.
I fail to see how it will attract Visitors to Our City as it is in the Confines of the Park,
thank Goodness. It could have been erected in the area on the forgotten Gateway to Lichfield. Sure you all remember by the in Limbo Bus Station reallocation,
I fail to understand who decided that this was a good idea. .Oh Yes LDC
Grrrrr
Want to make Lichfield more attractive?
Fill the potholes. Bring back free parking. Limit the amount of coffee & vape shops. Reduce the rent/ctax for small businesses & ctax for residents. Get rid of peppercorn rents for big brands – make them pay their fair share.
Lichfield used to be a lovely place; I remember as a kid, waiting for a bus for half an hour just to visit. Now, all the big names have abandoned it.
Still, it’s good to know LDC hasn’t lost the art of wasting our money. Nothing says quiet, refined class & prosperity than a 20 foot sign.
“We hope this new addition will help inspire civic pride and attract even more visitors to our beautiful district.” Ha ha ha ha! What a laugh. They spout clichés like they are going out of fashion. How do giant letters inspire civic pride or attract more visitors to Lichfield? I can’t imagine anyone saying “I’m am so proud that Lichfield have giant letters in the park” or “Let’s go to Lichfield to see the giant letters in the park”. What an utter waste of money and yes, I’m aware that it hasn’t been paid for by LDC but surely they could have found a better use for the money. Whilst I know LDC are not responsible for the pavements but could use the money for “enhanced street cleaning” it would be good if we had safe, if not clean pavements to walk along and here I’m referring mainly to Tamworth Street, where there is an accident waiting to happen with the displaced wobbly paving slabs. Pride comes before a fall. Lets hope no one does.
I have, as I’m sure many of the contributors above have, visited many cities in the UK and Europe and with all these visits NEVER have I visited them in order to go looking for a bunch of letters spelling out the city name. Lichfield council do it again! Just remember this story on a certain day in May.
Dont want to live here anymore.
We hadn’t walked through Lichfield Town centre for a very long time, we were shocked how it had changed. It was all coffee shops, charity shops and ‘tatty’ vaping shops as someone else has mentioned.
A lot of the pavements were very uneven, and dangerous, but that can’t possibly be sorted out, use the money instead for an idiotic sign.
How much did this sign cost? and who’s stupid idea was it?
Lichfield is in the grip of a pandemic of roadworks and Cricket Lane is soon to join it.
So why would anyone want to visit Lichfield? 😕
Did the council run out of money or something on the plinth, the texture doesn’t even match. Typical wasting of funds by the council
£18,035.25 is a stupid amount of money to spend on these letters.
I just think it’s an eyesore – people partly visit Lichfield because it’s a beautiful place. The flowers in Beacon Park for example are always stunning. This is taking away from the beauty – the view from the duck pond towards the Cathedral for example now has big white letters to the left of it. Hopefully they’re not permanent?
Is there more than one Lichfield ? Because the one i live in is a beatuiful town with a lot going for it. It’s high street has seen some departures, but Lichfield high street has survived far better than most places.
A LOT OF NEGATIVE COMMENTS ABOUT A SIGN, NOT ONE MENTION OF THE PLAY AREA OR WELL MAINTAINED PARK (voted the best park in Staffordshire) IF YOU HAVE CHILDREN CHECK IT OUT IF YOU DON’T GO FOR A LONG WALK AROUND THE PARK AND LICHFIELD YOU WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED.
I’m sure most people walking in Beacon Park don’t need a huge sign to know where they are in Lichfield.
They could have filled my pot holes in for that
I give it 2 weeks most before it’s covered in graffiti. It’s crying out to be vandalised.
£600,000? what a waste of money better if they gave retail businesses 6months reduced rates to encourage independent shops to open,breathe life in to this up its own backside Right wing council & bring visitors back to see what the city has to offer.
Oh! My goodness what on earth is happening to what was my lovely home town? I now live in Dorset and the last time I visited Lichfield (albeit a short visit) I couldn’t wait to get away.
I know things can’t remain still and frozen in time but there are far too many houses being built and things have been changed just for the sake of it. Please Lichfield stop all the building and changes let it once again become a city known for its beauty and individuality, and leave the countryside around alone.
Interesting that one LDC member has anything to say so far on here about this stupid waste of our money. Where is Doug Pullen??? or any Councillor [possibly to be out of office in May anyway] to defend this decision
@Richard Nelson
The discussion is about the signage not the Play Area,
We hear you.
I’d like to critisise the council for the waste but at least it helps confused freezing pensioners remember where they are. perhaps the money would have been better spent fixing the parks potholes PROPERLY. It also blots out that ridiculously old three spired eyesore. If only the public had been asked “where shall we put this new sign”.
Could have saved a few bob and still had a sign if they had only made it out of traffic cones. There are plenty of those dotted about the city. The city name and the cones are now synonymous after all. It would also have helped to meet LDC’s recycling targets.
I’m more intrigued by the mobile sign informing visitors to LICHFIELD that the taxi rank is now in Tamworth Street. The sign is positioned at the junction of St Johns Street and The Friary where over 20 taxis queue up and have been for the passed few weeks ( together with take away drivers illegally parked ).
Welcome everyone to the Whinge Olympics! In case you missed it, the gold medal was taken yet again by the commenters on Lichfield Live, for whom nothing is anything other than bad, terrible, dreadful & awful. If you do happen to visit Lichfield you may be shocked to discover a delightful city which, contrary to what you might have been led to believe, looks nothing like downtown Beirut.