Stowe Pool aqua park among proposals to be debated by councillors
Councillors are set to debate plans to allocate more than £1.5million to help develop and improve sports facilities across Lichfield and Burntwood.
Lichfield District Council’s overview and scrutiny committee will examine the proposed allocations for the latest round of Community Infrastructure Levy funding at a meeting next week.
A report has recommended the money, which comes from contributions paid by developers working on projects in the area, be split between two applications.
The proposals would see £1.45million go to the local authority itself to develop facilities for activities such as paddle tennis, an obstacle course, a climbing wall and outdoor aqua scramble.
A further £100,000 would go to help fund a new all-weather pitch at Chasetown Football Club.
The proposed schemes to be funded by the Community Infrastructure Levy include:
| Project | Location |
| New all-weather football pitch | Chasetown Football Club |
| Aqua park including outdoor swimming, paddle boarding and aqua scramble facilities | Stowe Pool |
| Climbing wall | Burntwood Leisure Centre |
| Soft play area | Burntwood Leisure Centre |
| Replacement of existing mini-golf with new adventure golf course | Beacon Park |
| Competitive obstacle course | Beacon Park |
| Paddle tennis courts | Beacon Park |
| New all-weather sports pitch | Lichfield |
A report from Cllr Iain Eadie, deputy leader and cabinet member for economic growth at Lichfield District Council, said the £1.55million funding pot had seen projects scored against a set of criteria.
“While the submissions received for the large part have great merit, the scheme is once again significantly over-subscribed and therefore require a prioritisation approach to be adopted.
The highest scoring bid was submitted by the council and is a project to support of the development of seven new or extended sport and leisure facilities across the district, and two bids – Chasetown FC and Staffordshire County Council – scored equally to rank second.
“If funding is allocated to the top scoring bid it will only leave enough fund the Chasetown FC bid.
“It is therefore proposed to allocate £100,000 of CIL to this second ranked bid rather than the county council bid based on the remaining funds available.”
Cllr Iain Eadie, Lichfield District Council
Missing out
The bid from Staffordshire County Council would have been part of funding for planned improvements to Burntwood.
Projects missing out on Community Infrastructure Levy funding include:
| Project | Applicant | Funding request |
| Cannock Road, Burntwood – traffic calming, traffic management, sustainable transport, signing and public realm enhancements | Staffordshire County Council | £268,000 |
| Conversion of Oak pub building into a community space providing potential office accommodation, open space and community pub | Burntwood Town Council | £100,000 |
| Upgrade of male toilet facilities | Chasetown Football Club | £14,000 |
| Improvements to multi-use games area including roofing and floodlights and BMX track for the local community | Fradley and Streethay Parish Council | £300,000 |
| Extension at Brereton Surgery | Integrated Care Board | £551,746 |
| Creation of four clinical rooms at Samuel Johnson Community Hospital | Integrated Care Board | £70,000 |
| Extension of existing clubhouse, resurfacing of hockey pitch and installation of a 3G football and rugby pitch | Lichfield Sports Club | £2,285,000 |
| Refurbishment of substation at Sandfields Pumping Station | Lichfield Waterworks Trust | £3,831 |
| Installation of two swimming pools in vacant retail unit | The Swim Foundation | £516,000 |
| Decarbonisation feasibility study | Whittington and Fisherwick Parish Council | £50,000 |
Cllr Eadie said that he hoped those bids which had been successful would support local communities by delivering some of the facilities asked for in a recent survey.
“Awarding Community Infrastructure Levy funding to the projects will greatly enhance the sport and leisure facilities we have in the district and present the opportunity to improve the health and wellbeing of our residents.
“The council project will fund seven activities as set out that were identified by residents of the district in an online survey in December 2023.
Cllr Iain Eadie, Lichfield District Council
The proposed allocations will be discussed at a meeting of Lichfield District Council’s overview and scrutiny committee on 8th February.
