Opposition councillors have welcomed the decision to publish details of redevelopment plans for Lichfield city centre.
Lichfield District Council has unveiled more details on a five-year plan to create a mixed-use scheme on land off Birmingham Road left empty since the failed Friarsgate scheme.
It will include offices, retail units, parking, housing and open spaces.
But Labour councillors had called for a “full disclosure” of the details saying they had only been briefed in confidence since the local elections in May.
Cllr Colin Ball, who has chaired a task group on city centre redevelopment for a number of years, said he was pleased to see the details finally being made publicly available.
“I welcome this step forward so that all of the council members and the public can see how the parts of the scheme fit together.
“It’s understandable that a lot of the plans have had to be confidential due to commercial sensitivities. but the public we represent need to have the same overview.
“I’m pleased that the council leadership has now accepted what we, as opposition members, have been calling for.”
Cllr Colin Ball, Lichfield District Council
The five-year redevelopment of the land – which will also include a relocation of the bus station to the opposite side of the Birmingham Road – has been outlined in an animation released by the local authority.
Cllr Sue Woodward, leader of the Labour group at Lichfield District Council, said:
“We are certainly supportive of the overall vision, which has been a very long time coming.
“This doesn’t mean that we are offering a blank cheque and will continue to challenge the Leadership as the plans progress but this is a really positive sign of progress.
“Cllr Pullen’s comments at last week’s council meeting that our call for full exposition were ‘frustrating’ as Labour members had been briefed on the plans were a bit disingenuous – all of the briefings we’ve had have been in confidence, and we have honoured this confidentiality while also calling for the plans to be made public as soon as possible.
“He can’t have it both ways.”
Cllr Sue Woodward, Lichfield District Council
