Purpose

1.1.      Approval is sought for the
allocation of financial contributions tied to the Section 106
Agreement ‘Land South Of, Shortbutts Lane, Lichfield’ towards the
installation of information boards along the former Lichfield
Canal, near the St Johns Grange development south of
Lichfield.

Decision

1.1.      To allocate
£5,000.00 of the ‘Public Art Sum’ in the Section
106 Agreement for ‘Land South Of, Shortbutts Lane, Lichfield’ (planning
application 21/01956/OUTFLM) towards the installation of
information boards along the Lichfield Canal near St Johns Grange
(Lichfield South), Lichfield Southern Bypass.

Reasons for the decision

2.1.      The ‘Public Art
Contribution’ for ‘Land South of, Shortbutts Lane, Lichfield’ was paid to the
Council in a single instalment (£5,000.00) in November 2024.
The Section 106 Agreement requires the Public Art Contribution
‘[to be used] towards Public Art purposes only’. The
‘Public Art Purposes’ are ‘the provision of
public art to be integrated into the development in accordance with
the Council’s Local Plan strategy Policy CP12.’
 
2.2.      The Lichfield and
Hatherton Canal Restoration Trust have
submitted a proposal to the Council for the installation of two
public information boards along the Lichfield Southern Bypass, near
to entrances to the St John’s Grange development (between
Axten Avenue and Baker Way). The boards will talk about the history
of the Lichfield Canal, its significance to the local area, and its
continued conservation following recent developments along the
original route. The Trust are seeking grants of £5,000 from
S106 contributions to cover the full cost of this project, and that
any costs exceeding this amount will be sourced from the
Trust’s own funds.

Alternative options considered

3.1.            
The alternative options were considered:

Option?

Consideration?

Selected
option?

Not to allocate the
Section 106 financial contribution towards installing the
information boards at St Johns and instead allocate towards an
alternative project.

This option is not recommended as the project meets
the S106 requirements and the financial contributions are required
to be allocated by a specific date (in this case November 2029)
otherwise it risks being claimed back by the developer. The Council
should also be proactive in allocating S106 contributions towards
projects which satisfy the specific requirements as set out within
the Agreement.

Allocate the S106
contribution towards the information boards