Michael Fabricant is telling the developers of the Birmingham Road
Shopping Development, English Heritage, and the Government’s Department
of Communities and Local Government that "a Brindley Place or Jewellery
Quarter style of development is far more in keeping with the City of
Lichfield than some inappropriate concrete space like the Bullring."

Michael Fabricant adds: "Most of us welcome an improvement to the
Birmingham Road and enhanced shopping and entertainment that it will
bring. The scale of the development is now more in keeping with our
medieval City and is an improvement. In particular, the frontage on St
Johns Street has been lowered as has the height of the hotel.

"But the finishing will now either make or break this project. It will
either become a scar on the landscape looking like a small part of the
Bullring or Walsall has been dumped on the south of our City with people
in years to come wondering who were the style-less vandals who could
promote such a monstrosity or, as I hope, it will be finished tastefully
using brick and wood with trees and attractive street furniture and will
be an enhancement to the stylish City that Lichfield has become.

"Other cities like Durham have attractive modern developments using
traditional finishes. If Lichfield is to thrive, it must do the same.
I feel very strongly about this. The appalling mistakes of planners in
the 60s and 70s must not be repeated here today. My views and those of
others are being reported to Ruth Kelly, the Secretary of State, and to
Harrisons (the developers), and English Heritage."