The first Shenstone Neighbourhood Plan was made in 2016. The Neighbourhood Plan is a formal land use plan which directs future development in the area. Along with the Lichfield Local Plan, it is used to determine planning applications in Shenstone. The 2016 Plan covered changes to the green belt, housing supply, design and density, walking, cycling and the provision of recreation and community facilities.

Scan this QR code to access the 2016 plan document

The current 2016 Shenstone Neighbourhood Plan covers the period up to 2029. This completion date is fast approaching and so it is necessary to review and update the Plan. Work commenced in 2023 through a working group. Many valued, existing policies will remain, however we now asking you, the community, what do you think of our update? What have we missed?

We are holding a drop-in consultation event where more detail will be provided about the proposed changes to the Shenstone Neighbourhood Plan. We hope you can attend and give us your views.

The consultation event details are as follows:-

Date: Tuesday 19^th March 2024

Time: 3pm – 7pm (drop in at any time)

Location: Shenstone Library, Main Street, Shenstone, WS14 0NF

If you can’t make the event then please send your views to the Shenstone Parish Clerk by Friday 29^th March:

By email to: admin@shenstonepc.pcwpreview.co.uk
By post to: Shenstone Parish Council, 25C Main Street, Shenstone, WS14 OLZ

A summary of the areas that the Shenstone Neighbourhood Plan Review has addressed are listed below.

What planning policy is proposed to stay the same?

• Protection of green belt boundaries.

• Design of residential infill and backland development which must still protect the amenity of neighbours and avoid over-developing sites.

• The dwelling mix of developments must still provide a majority of one, two and three bed homes.

• Land at Shenstone Business Park; this site is still allocated for approximately 50 dwellings, employment space and step-free access to Shenstone railway station, whilst also encouraging improved pedestrian access across the Lynn Lane Bridge and opening up the Footherley Brook as a green wildlife corridor.

• Commercial development; the plan still requires parking and HGV traffic created by new business development to not have a detrimental impact on residents.

• Local green spaces; Shenstone Playing Fields, the Lammas Land and Malkins Coppice will remain as protected from development.

• Community recreational facilities; there is continuing support for improvements at Shenstone Playing Fields.

What new planning policies are proposed?

• Appropriately designed and retrofitted solar panels and double glazing in the Conservation Area.

• Energy efficient new homes in wildlife and dark skies friendly developments.

• Flexible use of community spaces for micro business development.

• The possibility of a small play area serving the south of the village.

What is proposed to be removed?

• The policy requiring high quality broadband connections should be removed as this is now a requirement of national policy.

The Neighbourhood Plan Review has covered both formal planning and also wider proposals affecting our village environment quality. These include:

1. New walking and cycling routes

The review proposes specific circular walking and cycling routes to add to general support for improvements in the existing Neighbourhood Plan.

2. Wildlife-friendly development

The review suggests ways that development can achieve ‘biodiversity net gain’ through design of features on buildings that encourages wildlife to thrive. This includes:

Hedgehog friendly fences

Swift bricks

Green roofs on bin stores

3. Low energy and energy efficient design

The review cannot require development to be as energy efficient as possible (national policy prevents this). But it can encourage development to achieve highly energy efficient buildings through design.

4. Renewable energy and energy efficient measures affecting heritage

Development in the Shenstone Conservation Area or on listed buildings can be restricted from putting in energy efficient measures because of heritage considerations. Examples include double glazing and solar panels. The review proposes a more permissive approach to retrofitting, provided the measures use materials and designs that are sensitive to local heritage.

5. Light pollution

Development must limit its light pollution impacts on the environment and wildlife.

6. Air quality & Environment

We want to ask you about the ways in which your local area & environment could be improved.

7. ­ Traffic hazards and parking issues

We want to ask you about traffic volumes and velocities and the traffic calming measures you feel are appropriate. We want your views on the places in the village which we feel are unsafe for pedestrians and also where parking has become a problem.

There will be more detail at the community consultation event on 19th March at Shenstone Library. Come along and tell us what you think.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Smoke from bonfires pollutes the air that we breathe – so this year why not simply compost instead? It’s easy, great for your garden, better for the environment & wonderful for wildlife!
If you must have a fire, whether it’s outside or inside your home, only ­use safe, ‘ready-to-burn’ fuels, dry, natural wood & organic garden waste.

Never burn household waste, plastics or painted & treated woods such as decking, fence panels, old sheds, manufactured boards and even some pallets as they contain dangerous chemicals which would be released into the air & soil. These materials should be taken to a recycling centre instead.
So let’s all do our bit to keep our soil safe, welcome wildlife & protect the air that we all share!
For more information please visit:
lichfielddc.gov.uk/home-garden/bonfires-barbecues-smoke

Good Afternoon,
Hope this finds you all well and that you have managed to get some deserved time with family.

If I can ask that you share this with all of our local Cllrs and partners please.

December has been another busy month at Lichfield.

We saw a increases in domestic abuse calls (96) , road traffic collisions (71) and missing persons reported (28).

We also saw some reductions in Burglary and Theft of/from motor vehicles.

We, as a partnership, have conducted an extensive campaign on both crime prevention, and a focus on night time economy which has seen a reduction in incidents. For example, throughout the month of December so far, City centre night time economy has seen only 8 violent crimes reported, and 9 incidents of public disorder which is a positive decrease from last year.

Sadly this year we have seen an unprecedented rise in fatal and serious road traffic collisions with 45 people being killed on roads in Staffordshire. Roads Policing Team have been out working with Local teams around seizing uninsured vehicles and conducting an extensive drink drive campaign to try and reduce the risk posed through these offences. This will continue throughout the coming weekend.

Crime overall in Lichfield has seen a slight increase of 4% ( 245 more offences) which is comparative to 4% increase overall throughout the force.

As you can see from the tables below – possession of weapons has seen an increase but this is due to a more focused approach to stop and search – we have a 67% positive outcome rate on our stop and search so shows we are stopping the right people in right places.

 

 

 

 

 

Violence Reduction will be a focus for first 6 months of 2024 and we look forward to working with you all to reduce the likelihood of violent crime in our area.

Some wider news from Staffordshire Police :

1. In an initiative spearheaded by the Chief Constable, ten new investigative quality sergeants (IQS) will start work from 8 January. One of these will be based at Lichfield/Cannock – Sgt Kevin Royce who currently works in our neighbourhood team. He will be replaced by Sgt Katie Gallagher who will introduce herself I am sure when she starts at the end of January. While the roles will bring much needed extra capacity to support the frontline, reducing work-in-tray, the benefits of the sergeants will be felt in many ways. This includes the better identification of vulnerability, helping officers improve the quality of investigation plans, raising overall quality standards, and – ultimately – helping officers secure better outcomes for victims of crime.
2. We have now been informed that HMICFRS have discharged one of our two causes for concern – responding to the public. The discharging of this is an important step in our journey to becoming, once again, an outstanding local police service. But there is still much more to do before we can exit our ‘Engage’ status.
3. Staffs Police, from February, will be implementing ‘Right Care, Right Person model to ensure we can better protect vulnerable members of our communities and provide them with the specialist help they need. Where it is appropriate for the police to be involved in responding, this will continue to happen, but the police should only be involved for as long as is necessary, and in conjunction with health and/or social care services. This will ensure that we respond to threat to life situations but may not be responding to welfare checks when it would be more suitable for Mental health or social care to do so. I can brief more on this nearer the time.

I look forward to seeing you all over the coming months – we still have much work to do to get our policing response locally in a place where I would like it, but when I reflect over the last year, it certainly is improving.

As partners, I also feel we have made some improvements and there is much planned for coming months including a new Problem solving partnership meeting, which I hope to update you on in due course.

There will be some changes in the neighbourhood teams, as I feel we need the most proactive officers on there – when confirmed I will share the list with you all so that you have contact details.

I hope you have a very safe and Happy New Year celebration, and as ever if you need anything at all, feel free to contact me.

Karen
T/Chief Inspector 5383 Karen Green
Lichfield LPT Commander
National Counter Terrorism Security Co-ordinator (CT SecCo)

 Staffordshire Police
karen.green@staffordshire.police.uk     

Letter 1

Dear Heat Network Delivery Unit,

Round 13 Funding Application for Local Authorities Developing Heat Networks

As the Lichfield District Council Cabinet Member for Waste, Ecology and Climate Change I fully support this District Council application for government heat network development funding.

On the 10^th December 2019 a Lichfield Council resolution recognised that a climate change emergency exists and fully supported the Governments target of Net Zero Carbon Emissions by 2050.This application for Detailed Project Development funding allows the Council and South Staffordshire Water Ltd to further unlock the renewable heat potential of a large aquifer in the south of the District that sits below several large Staffordshire villages.

The application requests HNDU grant 67% funding totalling £99,327.50k for the completion of the Full Detailed Project Development (DPD) small geography study. The balance of the DPD 33% match funding required to complete the study totalling £ 48,992.50k will provided through the appointed specialist ground water source energy consultants of SSI Ltd, part of South Staffordshire Water Ltd who are key DPD project stakeholders.

This Round 13 funding application is also seeks approval for the full funding of external project management support resources which are not available within the District Council.

The heat potential of the aquifer water and existing aquifer access infrastructure allows a phased heat extraction plan to be developed to benefit residential new building and non residential interests before moving onto existing residential homes.

Letter 2

Dear Heat Network Delivery Unit,

Round 13 Funding Application for Local Authorities Developing Heat Networks

As the Lichfield District Council Cabinet Member for Waste, Ecology and Climate Change I fully support this District Council application for government heat network development funding.

On the 10^th December 2019 a Lichfield Council resolution recognised that a climate change emergency exists and fully supported the Governments target of Net Zero Carbon Emissions by 2050.This application for Detailed Project Development funding allows the Council and South Staffordshire Water Ltd to further unlock the renewable heat potential of a large aquifer in the south of the District that sits below several large Staffordshire villages.

The application requests HNDU grant 67% funding totalling £99,327.50k for the completion of the Full Detailed Project Development (DPD) small geography study. The balance of the DPD 33% match funding required to complete the study totalling £ 48,992.50k will provided through the appointed specialist ground water source energy consultants of SSI Ltd, part of South Staffordshire Water Ltd who are key DPD project stakeholders.

This Round 13 funding application is also seeks approval for the full funding of external project management support resources which are not available within the District Council.

The heat potential of the aquifer water and existing aquifer access infrastructure allows a phased heat extraction plan to be developed to benefit residential new building and non residential interests before moving onto existing residential homes.

Yours sincerely,

Councillor Mike Wilcox

Cabinet Member for Waste, Ecology and Climate Change, Lichfield District Council

Link to letter from SSI Services Ltd

Coming Soon – Almost half a million pounds in funding for voluntary and community groups in Lichfield

Voluntary and community groups across Lichfield District will soon be offered the chance to apply for thousands of pounds in funding to help them deliver community support.

Lichfield District Council is to invite applications for its Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) Funding Programme 2024-2027 from the diverse range of organisations that contribute to making the district a great place to live, work and visit.

Projects will be funded that help to achieve the Lichfield District 2050 Strategy goal of creating confident, prosperous, green and active communities. The aim is to prioritise funding on applicants that can have the greatest impact and create a positive legacy.
The funding available is £163,000 per year over three years ­- £489,000 in all – with a minimum award per organisation of £1,000 per year. It is unlikely any one organisation will be awarded more than £50,000 per year so that as many organisations as possible can be supported.

Although all awards will be made across the three-year cycle there is no obligation to submit applications for a full three years of funding.

Applicants will be asked to complete an initial form as part of a two-stage process. If they are successful, they will be invited to complete Stage 2, a questionnaire. Both will be assessed by a panel using a set scoring criterion.
The VCS 2024-2027 Funding Prospectus, including the application forms and guidance notes, will be launched on 18 October 2023.

Dear customer
I’m writing to inform you of some upcoming essential resurfacing work on the A5 at Muckley Corner.

On the nights of 3 July and 4 July, 9pm to 6am, we’ll have a closure of the A5 eastbound between the Hanney Hay junction and Wall Island. Then, on the nights of 8 July and 9 July, 9pm to 6am, we’ll have a closure of the A5 westbound between Wall Island and the Hanney Hay junction.

During these closures, the following diversion route will be in place 

Please plan ahead and allow additional time for your journey.

Kind regards
Arun Lanyon | Business Services Co-ordinator

National Highways | The Cube | 199 Wharfside Street | Birmingham | B1 1RN

Web: https://nationalhighways.co.uk

World Bee Day can only mean one thing – it’s time to reveal the newest Bee Friendly Awards winners.

Following on from the success of our inaugural Bee Friendly Awards last year, we are pleased to welcome a further eight winners to the Bee Friendly network, now including community groups as well as towns and villages.

The Bee Friendly winners for 2023 are:

• Boyton Place, Suffolk
• Elmstead Woods Station Garden Club, Kent
• Frome, Somerset
• Haydon Bridge, Northumberland
• Ingatestone Station, Essex
• Thames Ditton, Surrey
• Shenstone Parish, Staffordshire
• Wivenhoe, Essex

Each winner was carefully selected for their pollinator-protecting efforts. From creating lavender beds on a station platform to sowing wildflowers within a church cemetery; from encouraging businesses to display floral hanging baskets to organising community tree planting; and from supporting guerrilla gardening to installing bug and bird boxes, the towns and groups not only showed their commitment to creating habitats for bees and myriad wildlife, but also engaged their community with child-friendly activities such as seed bomb making and bee ID trails.

In addition to Bee Friendly status, all of the winners receive a Bee Friendly Award, designed by Steve Chapman, plus wildflower seeds to distribute and the opportunity to enter for an additional Bee Friendly prize in the form of £300 to commission a commemorative piece of bee-themed artwork.

Think your town or community group has what it takes to receive Bee Friendly status? Or would you like to take steps now to be ready for next year’s awards? Visit the Bee Friendly Trust website to find out how to get involved.

Photo by Michael Sadgrove, Haydon Bridge, Northumberland

A Shout Out for our Partners and Volunteers

As a charity, the support of our partners and volunteers is vital in enabling us to continue creating wildlife spaces where bees and other pollinating insects can thrive.

Which is why we’d like to take the opportunity, this World Bee Day, to say a huge thank you to the businesses, community groups and individuals who provide sponsorship or fundraise for the Bee Friendly Trust; raise awareness; and allow us to create and maintain our station-based nature habitats.

Some of the support we’ve received so far, this year:

Burt’s Bees. To mark World Bee Day, the bee-loving skincare company has generously donated £50 each on behalf of 100 of its key followers to help us expand our educational reach.

Bloom & Wild. Through sales of seasonal letterbox flowers via its Instagram channel, the British online florist has donated more than £800 to our station projects this quarter alone.

Mary Hughes. Homemade lavender bags, local honey and a tabletop sale outside her home in Kent raised more than £300 for the Bee Friendly Trust – and brought a community together over a shared mission to save the country’s bees!

Essex and South Suffolk Community Rail. Thanks to grant funding, a nettle-covered space at Wrabness Station in Essex was cleared and transformed into the Wrabness Station Wildlife Garden, complete with bee-friendly planters, a wildflower meadow, bug hotels, sculptures and a pond.

Anonymous. Our favourite type of post! A delivery of knitted bees (pictured) – from an anonymous sender. Each bee we receive helps raise money for the Trust via our online shop and at events.

Bee Friendly Trust x National Trust

This World Bee Day, we’re excited to reveal details of our latest campaign, The Bee Friendly Skep Project.

For those wondering, a skep is a traditional form of beehive, typically made from wicker or straw. Because of the nature of their fabric, they would historically have been stored in places known as bee boles, bee alcoves, bee houses and bee shelters. Many of which lie neglected and forgotten around the UK.

To raise awareness of skeps and bee shelters, and to celebrate them for the important role they’ve played (and play) in the nation’s beekeeping story, we will be launching a programme of events this month to run throughout 2023, and culminating in an exhibition of celebrity-designed skeps in 2024.

The events, which include appearances from the Bee Friendly Trust’s popular troupe of Waggle Dancers, will quite fittingly take place at the National Trust’s Attingham Park in Shropshire, which is the proud owner of the fine Georgian Bee Shelter, pictured above.

With bee populations still needing our support, we hope that through The Bee Friendly Skep Project, we can start fresh conversations around the importance of bees and the need to create spaces to protect and nurture them.

 

Conservatives say they will pursue new approach to how and where homes are built across Lichfield and Burntwood

by Lichfield Live13th May, 2023

A new approach to ensuring infrastructure is in place before new homes are built across Lichfield and Burntwood will be a focus for the Conservatives, a councillor has said.

The remit of Local Plan within the Tory group at Lichfield District Council has gone to newly-elected member for Fazeley, Cllr Alex Farrell.

He said he had been given a clear directive to ensure an alternative exploration of where and how new homes are built across Lichfield and Burntwood.

Cllr Farrell said a “new settlement” approach would be followed rather than a continual urban expansion to existing areas.

“The currently adopted Local Plan, approved over eight years ago in February 2015, has been responsible for the continued urban expansion in Lichfield, which I believe is not sustainable given that we have very little leverage over new infrastructure

“I have been given very clear direction from the group leader, Cllr Doug Pullen, to find a way of ceasing urban expansion while also ensuring that we can provide housing with appropriate infrastructure – and I firmly believe that a new settlement approach is the way to achieve this.”

Cllr Alex Farrell, Lichfield District Council

Cllr Farrell, who was elected to Lichfield District Council for the first time earlier this month, said he was keen to make progress on his new portfolio.

“Along with the design code already being created for Lichfield district, I really believe this new approach gives us a very good opportunity to begin building the right houses in the right places, whilst also ensuring that the relevant infrastructure is central to new development.

“I look forward to getting started on this important task.”

Cllr Alex Farrell, Lichfield District Council

Lichfield Live