Citylife in Lichfield September 2020

LOCAL NEWS
Birmingham Road Site
Toilets Opened
The Chairman of Lichfield District Council,
Councillor Joe Powell (pictured centre), cut the
ribbon on two brand new toilets in Lichfield
city centre on 11th August.
The Healthmatic facilities offer two unisex
toilets, one of which has disabled access and a
baby changer. The toilets will be open every day
from 7am to 7pm.
The replacement toilets have been installed as
part of the council’s Birmingham Road site
improvement project, which has seen Lichfield’s
old police station and bus station buildings
demolished, the creation of extra coach parking,
as well as the bus station refreshed and
landscaped. It will also see a new long-stay car
park opening soon.
.......................................................................................
Council Protects Land
at Netherstowe
Following the recent unauthorised traveller
encampment on council-owned property at
Netherstowe, the City Council, in partnership
with Lichfield and Hatherton Canals
Restoration Trust (LHCRT) is utilising soil
excavated from the site of the former canal
along Tamworth Road to create an earth ‘bund’
or mound along a portion of the grassed area
adjacent to Handel Walk.
Approximately 150 tonnes of soil were
transported to the site in mid-August and it is
being moulded into the shape of the bund,
which will then be seeded with a wildflower
mix on the southside and cosmetically
10
Image courtesy of Paul Marshall
landscaped with shrubs on the north side to
create an attractive gateway to the open space.
The council will also plant a feature Oak tree to
further enhance the site. The scheme was
designed by Landscape Architects from local
planning and environmental consultancy,
Pegasus Group.
A number of bollards are also due to be
installed, and together with the bund, it is hoped
that they will provide considerable protection
against any future unauthorised vehicular access
to the land.
.......................................................................................
LHCRT Addresses MPs
The director of
the Lichfield and
H a t h e r t o n
C a n a l s
R e s t o r a t i o n
Trust (LHCRT),
Peter Buck,
recently gave a
presentation to
a group of MPs
about the
benefits of canal
restoration as a
catalyst
for
Peter Buck of LHCRT
regeneration and
economic recovery from the effects of the
coronavirus lockdown.
The LHCRT engineering director told a video
meeting of the All-Party Parliamentary Group
for the Waterways about the Trust's aims and
achievements, including information about a
notable rise in visitor numbers during
lockdown, with up to 60 family groups per hour
over two sites at the peak.
Lockdown regulations had limited volunteer
action, but work parties had resumed in June
with appropriate Covid-19 precautions.
It was hoped that other groups – Queen's
Croft special school pupils, Scouts, Duke of
Edinburgh award students, construction and
bricklaying students from local colleges,
Waterway Recovery Group volunteers,
corporate volunteers – would resume their
activities over the coming months.
.......................................................................................
Stowe Fields Play
Area Unveiled
Lichfield District Council has launched its brand
new play area in Stowe Fields. Children are now
having fun playing on the equipment, including a
30m zip line, a basket swing, two slides, climbing
frames, wooden stilts, a spider’s net, a fireman’s
pole, a seesaw and more.
Now the play area has been installed, Stowe
Field’s old junior play equipment, next to the
outdoor gym, will be removed after the
summer and the area re-landscaped to enhance
the view from Stowe Pool towards Lichfield
Cathedral.
The council is planning to formally open Stowe
Fields play area later in the year.
Find out more about visiting Stowe Pool and
Fields at www.lichfieldhistoricparks.co.uk.
.......................................................................................
Lichfield’s Visitor
Information Centre
Reopens
On Monday 17th August, Lichfield District
Council reopened its Visitor Information
Centre, which is based in Lichfield Library in St
Mary’s on the Market Square.
After closing when much of the country went
into lockdown due to the coronavirus
pandemic, the council is reopening its Visitor
Information Centre with a slightly reduced
service.
The team is on hand to help with visitor
enquiries, city maps and self-guided trails,
National Express tickets, coach parking tickets,
and tourism and events leaflets, which are
available on request as an extra precaution.
A number of measures have been put in place
to protect visitors and the team, including a
one-way route around the building, a
requirement to wear a face mask, social
distancing, hand sanitiser, protective screens,
and requesting that customers pay by card.
The Visitor Information Centre is open from
Monday to Saturday, between 9.30am and 4pm.
For more visitor information and to download
maps of the city and district, go to
www.visitlichfield.co.uk.
July/August Winners
Well done to A Thomas of
Whittington who has been
chosen as the winner of a
granite chopping board from
Just Granite of Penkridge.
C Hale of Lichfield was the
winner of two pizza kits from
Cafe Cigno in Burntwood -
well done!