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Thursday, 31 January 2008

Proposed Burial Ground at Spring Hill. Hammerwich/Stonnall.

Many residents of Stonnall, Sandpits and Spring Hill have expressed concern over over these plans to provide a new burial ground. Most concerns relate to the problems of traffic on the dual lanes where they merge into one at the Cartersfield Lane crossing, the speed of traffic and the movement of a Hearse and possibly 20 vehicles at this point trying to U turn. The problem also exists on the exit when trying cross two lanes of fast traffic and U turn into the fast lane to travel in the Walsall direction. As a matter of information Walsall have just agreed an extension of the Streetley burial ground and Hammerwich has a new site not yet started. 

Please contact me if you have any more information. 

 
Tuesday, 29 January 2008

Stonnall Dawn.

Those of us fortunate enough to live in Stonnall will know we have a wonderful veiw of sunsets, the picture on my header was taken at Christmas looking from our bedroom window at a superb dawn.
 
Tuesday, 29 January 2008

Tamworth. Browns Lane Housing Plans Refused

At a meeting of the Lichfield District Council planning committee on 28th January it refused developer proposals to build 250 houses on the edge of Tamworth.  In moving refusal David said, "The proposal would have removed the green wedge between Tamworth and Wigginton and destroyed the village, there would also be a massive loss of valuable farm land"  
 
Tuesday, 22 January 2008

All Saints Estate Petition

In December Councillor David S Smith, Leader of Lichfield District Council, received a petition about litter problems local residents were experiencing at the All Saints Estate in North Lichfield

Residents were concerned about a general litter problem on and around the estate and have also indicated that the litter is worse on week days and during the school terms. They came together and 125 people signed a petition asking for the problem to be resolved.

After receiving the petition, Lichfield District Council sprang into action and representatives from Operational Services met to discuss how the issue could be addressed.

Following the meeting the Council’s Operational Services team installed a litter bin on the edge of the estate on the corner of Thomas Greenway. This has already had a huge impact, reducing the amount of litter being dropped in the area.

Another litter bin is planned to go on the Grange Lane Junction, and a recycling bin is set to go outside Friary High School. The Council will also be placing a dog waste bin on the walkway between Grange Lane and the All Saints Estate. On top of this, Homezone is planning to deploy people on community service in the area to litter pick the estate on a weekly basis.

Councillor David S Smith, Leader of Lichfield District Council, said: “We always encourage our residents to tell us about any problems they’re experiencing. I am confident our response will have a dramatic impact on the litter problem, but we would also urge our residents to always ensure they dispose of their litter responsibly. Our Operational Services team will monitor the All Saints Estate closely, and plan to go on a ‘walkabout’ of the area with local councillors to see if progress has been made and to consider more possible improvements.”

More...

In the long term, Lichfield District Council is also planning to launch an education campaign aimed at secondary school pupils to teach them about being a responsible citizen – specifically focusing on litter and anti social behaviour.
 
Tuesday, 22 January 2008

Comments from the Tamworth Herald Readers

Article: Lichfield Hits back in war over borders

If Cllr Oates gets his way then question must be which will be bigger? The Borough of Tamworth or his ego? Come on Jeremy, the battle for pulling into the borough of Tamworth Mile Oak, Fazeley, et al was fought and lost many years ago. This wasn't the reason so many of Tamworths' councillors also sit on Fazeley council was it?
Richard Kingstone, Coton Green, Tamworth

Well said, David. We live on the border of Lichfield & Tamworth and pay our council tax to Lichfield and receive excellent services (most of the time) from Lichfield. But the majority of our shopping is obviously done in Tamworth as is our leisure pursuits. Tamworth council is just being greedy once again. Instead of looking over its borders to see what else there is to be had, it should concentrate on getting right what it already has. Ventura Park could be a good shopping area but it is a nightmare at weekends and other times due to ineptitude in designing the road system. Building the Snowdome with its carpark on the flood plain takes some beating. Permitting major private home developments without developing the infrastructure (especially the road systems); the list goes on. Lichfield is generally slower on taking the initiative in development but the more cautious approach seems to give better results in the long term.
Keith Dawson, Bonehill

 
Tuesday, 15 January 2008

Tamworth Expansion: Letter to the Tamworth Herald

Dear Sir
 
The suggestion to extend Tamworth's borders into Lichfield made in an article in last week’s Tamworth Herald is regrettable. At a time when councils should be working together to tackle the needs of our residents, we should not be concerned about lines on the map. By working together we can provide value for money services and get more resources to areas of need. Working together will also give us a stronger voice regionally and nationally.

I would also like to correct some of the statements made in last week’s article.

Tamworth Borough residents pay more council tax than people living in Lichfield District - on average £5 more a year. Our Band D council tax is £127.82, compared to £132.78 for Tamworth Borough.
 
People living on the borders of Tamworth are not a drain to Tamworth's economy. Rather people living on Tamworth's borders are a boost to Tamworth's economy. They receive services from Lichfield District Council, costing the people of Tamworth nothing, yet many shop, eat, drink and spend money in Tamworth, which boosts local businesses.
 
Where services such as schools, libraries or household recycling centres come into question, these are provided by Staffordshire County Council, and the provision of County Council services are not dictated by district or borough council borders.

Lichfield District Council is committed to working with all Staffordshire councils for the benefit of our residents. What local people want to know is that their council has their best interests at heart and is working hard to deliver quality affordable services.
 
Tuesday, 15 January 2008

Vision for Lichfield District

Cllr David S. Smith, Leader of Lichfield District Council: “We are a district council serving a community of just under 100,000 residents. Our underlying principle has always been to improve local people's lives. We are proud that we’ve been achieving this every year for the past 8 years.

Being one of the lowest charging councils in Staffordshire and the country, with the average family paying just £2.46 a week for our services, has never stopped us punching way about our weight. And despite increased pressure from a declining government settlement, we intend to continue to deliver top-class services, attract multi-million pound investments, and develop our district in a way that protects our heritage whilst allowing us to benefit from an improved infrastructure, in the coming years.

From our recycling service, that led the country for a number of years, to our new award winning theatre, The Lichfield Garrick, that has attracted stage performances from nationally acclaimed actors and regularly performs to sold-out houses, our services extend way beyond the ordinary.

In recent years, Lichfield District Council has attracted over £400 million of inward investment, agreed plans for two new multi-million pound shopping and leisure complexes, paved the way for a new ‘silicon valley’ at Lichfield South Business Park, encouraged the growth of the largest business park in south Staffordshire which houses a string of international names at Fradley, and facilitated plans for a new state of the art hospital and new army medical training centre at Whittington Barracks.

Moving forward we believe our role as a district council is, first and foremost, to improve local people’s lives, and where what we do can help improve people’s lives nationally, we will continue to share best practice and help others achieve the things we know make a difference."