What is the future of Woolworths site?

Over on my Twitter page, I asked what the future of Lichfield's Woolworths site might be.

I didn't have to wait long for Lichfield District Council to Tweet (as they call it) me back. It turns out that the council are already seeking public opinion.

On their website the Council say:

The Bird Street car park has a unique and attractive location. It is a relatively tranquil area due to its proximity to Minster Pool and the Memorial Gardens. Development of the site with a mixture of uses and associated environmental improvements will contribute not only to the attractiveness of the site but to the city centre as a whole.The site lies within the conservation area and is also in close proximity to a number of listed buildings, making the site quite sensitive to development.

So what does this really mean? Well, put simply, the future of the Woolworths site could well hang on how it fits into the wider historical landscape of Lichfield.

And this is where the problem lies. Lichfield has some stark decisions to make. If it continues to market itself as Historical Lichfield, then it needs to be consistent with that message throughout all of its planning - no more TJ Hughes-style developments. Instead it should stick to it's 'traditional' values when planning new shops and attracting new outlets and look to put together an independent feel to the city centre.

But if it isn't willing to apply this sort of structure, then the historical and traditional nature of the surroundings simply cannot be allowed to dictate the level of opportunities a site like this provides.

Put simply, Lichfield cannot have it both ways. Stick in the past or develop for the future. And the people of Lichfield MUST have their say. If you don't then your voice of complaint afterwards will count for nothing.

We've bin had!

Day two of the snow 'chaos' and Lichfield's binmen are enjoying a cup of Horlicks once more.

The council have decided that it's too unsafe for them to do their rounds. I can understand that some of the side streets might be unsafe, but surely the main roads could be collected?

Given the fact that the schools are all open and the rest of us have had to go to work it seems a bit odd that binmen are at a greater risk level than the rest of us.

According to their statement online, they'll now be collecting black bins instead next week where applicable. However, they won't be accepting any side waste. You can however take it to the tip at Trent Valley - as long as you remember it's not open on Mondays and Tuesdays!

Cleaning up the streets

Good old Lichfield District Council have prosecuted a woman for dropping litter. One of my pet hates so I'm more than pleased to see them getting tough.

Whether or not it's the most pressing concern the city has is debatable, but from small acorns large oaks grow.

I do wonder whether their anti-litter stance fits around their bin collection scheme though. After all we have green bins with no lids when it comes to recycling. This means that if you leave your green boxes out on a windy night you can play a game of 'guess whose rubbish?' as the plastic bottles and paper blows around the street.

Perhaps some consistency of thought my be in order?