Monday 21st July 2025, Martyn reported: It was a sad and frustrating evening spent with Vic Chamberlain at Lichfield District Council, attending the second sitting of the planning committee regarding the FULM application for the land west of the Lion’s Den Battery Storage site.

Unfortunately, despite strong objections, the planning application was approved.

What made this outcome particularly disappointing was that two Burntwood councillors voted in favour of the proposal, a decision that felt like a betrayal to Hammerwich, given the direct impact this development will have on our area. The sentiment of “it’s not on our doorstep” comes to mind.

Cllr Michael Galvin defended his vote by arguing that rejecting the application would have led to significant costs for LDC, which would ultimately burden council tax payers. However, many of us felt that the campaign against this inappropriate use of land had already been undermined before we even entered the building.

Several concerning issues arose:

• The process felt rushed, with very little time between the first deferment and this evening’s meeting.
• A site visit was held without public notification, and residents were not allowed to attend.
• Some residents who were invited in writing by the Council to speak at tonight’s meeting were inexplicably denied the opportunity.

It truly felt like the decision had already been made. We may have lost this particular battle, but we Burntwood, Hammerwich an the surrounding areas must now regroup and look at how we win the wider war.

We cannot allow LDC to quietly redefine Green Belt land as “Grey Belt” and pave the way for future developments to pass without proper scrutiny or local accountability.

Apologies for bringing such disappointing news.