Month: Aug 2022

Burntwood tip to close for six weeks

Update! Now reopening in Mid November as delays caused by “weather”!

As predicted, but surprised by the timetable, Burntwood Tip is to close for six weeks on the 17th of September.

In 2010 when the County Council, at a second attempt, wanted to close the site permanently a petition of 12,000 signatures, campaigning by your local Labour councillors (again) and good scrutiny stopped it.

The “temporary” notice telling Burntwood residents of its “permanent” closure in 2010

At the time it was reported: “Councillors and residents fear fly-tipping will soar if the centre closes. Residents in Cannock fear traffic chaos at the town’s Poplars landfill centre if additional users join regular queues to access the site.”

Ironically, today, the Local Government Association issued a news release entitled, “Lenient guidelines leading to low fly tipping fines, councils warn”

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Painting 10/10 pothole repair 0/10

You have to be impressed. No pothole is going to stop Staffordshire County Council repainting white lines on speed humps. ironstone-rd-june-2022-1 I reported this pothole in Ironstone Road on the 4th of June this year although it had been there for quite a while. ironstone-rd-august-2022 It was, understandably classified as “non urgent” at least understandably compared to a pavement trip hazard near the library that I and many of my colleagues had reported and which took three years to repair. Clearly the Conservative-run County Council did not want to delay the repainting of the white lines by 4 or 5 years and so, today, carried on regardless. Is it any wonder they are listed as 138 in the league table of local authorities responsible for highway maintenance with just 15% reports fixed by fillthathole compared to Stoke on Trent at no 29 with 51% fixed.  I bet they’re glad they “left” Staffordshire in 1998. 15/08/2022

Burntwood Recycling Centre to close

But only for a while in September when the surface behind the skips, which is always full of large puddles and not good for employees, is re-concreted. Hopefully we will get a reasonable amount of notice nearer the time – but not the day before I hope!

Sign giving whoever took their “new scoop” “..until Tueday afternoon to return it. After that the video will be passed over to the police”

With the blue bag fiasco roll-out was the news that tetrapaks were not being collected in the dry reyclable waste anymore. However, if you are able to store them somewhere you can take them to the Burntwood Recycling Centre . Clearly this is not as environmentally friendly as before but the companies that take the kerbside waste for Lichfield District are not allowing them to be mixed with the other paper waste anymore.

Please note that there are cameras on the site now so be aware.

They are supposed to be there in order for you to view before you go there if they are busy – but that information is on the County Council’s website anyway, though not “live” information.

04/08/2022

Lichfield District Council’s illegal adverts around the Friarsgate site

Lichfield Distrct Council’s illegal adverts next to a Grade 1 Listed Building

I have discovered that the District Council never applied for planning permission for the £23,000 adverts surrounding the hoarding round the Friarsgate site in Lichfield.

They will now have to advertise them in the normal way – as the rest of us are supposed to do.  This means seeking the views of statutory consultees and then assess the principle, visual, heritage [cue civic society they are opposite a grade 1 listed building] and highways impacts.

I don’t think it will be as costly as that other ‘oversight’ the failed sale of open space land in Lichfield at Leyfields and Netherstowe that finally resulted in a £117,900 compensation bill – all because the law was not followed.

Continue reading “Lichfield District Council’s illegal adverts around the Friarsgate site”