At a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday 29 November, Lichfield District councillors endorsed planned changes to the Friarsgate development, which include removing the hotel from the scheme. They were asked to endorse these changes on behalf of the council, as landowner of the development site. Friarsgate is set to bring hundreds of jobs, new shops, restaurants and a cinema to Lichfield City centre. 

David Clancy, Director of S Harrison Developments Ltd, explains: “With two hotels now planned for the city centre – one as part of our Friary Outer development and another with planning permission on the old Regal Cinema building on Tamworth Street – we plan to take the hotel out of the Friarsgate scheme. This will allow us to make changes to the development that improves its layout and design. 

“We’ve had lots of interest in the new design from major cinema operators, and the new venue is set to be one of the region’s first fully digital cinemas. We’ve also updated the configuration of some of the shops and made improvements to the layout of the car park.”   

Cllr Mike Wilcox, Leader of Lichfield District Council, said: “Cabinet endorsed the proposed changes to the Friarsgate scheme. In the new year, our development partners, S Harrison and Development Securities, will be asking local people what they think about these planned changes at an exhibition in the city centre. I would encourage everyone to come along and give their views, so we can make sure the scheme is right for the city.”

David Clancy continued: “We think the changes will improve Friarsgate, but we need to know if local people agree. We’ll take the comments local people give us on board, and we’ll submit our final changes to the council’s planning committee early next year for approval.”