Long Term
1. The society welcomes the new "listening" approach of the Council
to the development, and the stated intention to act positively in
seeking the views of the public, local organisations and interested
parties.
2. We welcome the stated intention to consider a mix of appropriate
uses for the site that complement the existing the existing City
Centre, does not compete with it, fulfils needs that are at present
not provided for and has the broad support of the people of
Lichfield.
3. We support the notion of creating an attractive and welcoming
entrance to the City Centre for residents and visitors, including
provision of an improved transport hub catering for rail, bus and
coach passengers, and parking provision for car users, as well as
creating improved, paved, signed and landscaped access routes for
pedestrians and cyclists.
4. The Society is supportive of a high quality development which is
compatible with the City Centre Conservation Policies, and enhances
the character of the historic asset of the City Centre through
appropriate design, height, massing and materials. The development
scheme should give particular consideration to:
a) retention of views of the Cathedral from City Station and the
entrance to the development and from the gateway entrance of
St John Street; and
b) the setting of St John's Hospital and the Old Grammar School.
5. We welcome the reality expressed regarding deliverability of the
development, and accept that phasing of development may be necessary
to ensure that its provision is appropriate and timely.
6. The Civic Society is concerned about the lack of clarity /
certainty at this time as to the future of the multi-storey car park
and its relationship with the development project. Because of the
known structural issues, the approach to be followed and timing of
action needs early resolution.
7. The Society is concerned about the safety and ease of access for
pedestrians when crossing Birmingham Road and St John Street at
present. Increased numbers of pedestrians will need to be catered
for in future and greater priority in implementing appropriate
facilities should be an integral part of the planning of the
development. The principle concerns are the crossing of Birmingham
Road to and from he railway station, and the crossing of St John
Street at the junction with Birmingham Road. At the latter, in
particular, there is no central refuge for pedestrians and this is
seen as an extremely unsafe situation, which could be resolved as
part of the development scheme.
Short Term
1. The Civic Society supports many of the proposed actions to bring
forward improvements to the site at an early date. However, the
Society is concerned that what is planned as short term works may
actually turn out to be long term. Additionally, at present, details
of exactly what is to be done is not known. A prime example of this
concern relates to the proposal to replace the toilet block with
temporary toilets. If the type being envisaged is a portacabin style
facility, it is feared this will give a poor overall impression of the
City at this important location, and be completely inappropriate for
the site. Something more substantial is vital, as these facilities may
be there for a number of years.
2. The Society has great concern at the lack of early action to
address the former Tempest Ford section of the site. Retention of
the hoardings in any form is of great concern because of its
unfortunate visual impact at this 'gateway' to the City Centre. It
is appreciated that ground conditions, particularly the buried fuel
tanks, present difficulties and have cost implications in resolving
the problem. Notwithstanding this, the Society wish to suggest
further consideration is given to early resolution of the issue,
which could create both short term and long term gains. It seems
possible that expenditure on "reclamation" of that section of the
site at this time would enhance the value of the site by the amount
expended. The alternative of deferring action would leave the issue
to be addressed later, with an increased cost, and the site value
would remain constrained until actions are implemented.