A teen hangout with hammocks, an accessible picnic bench and two play panels are now open. Three separate pots paid for them, and only one sum is published.

Three new facilities have opened at Burntwood Park: a teen hangout area with seating and swinging hammocks, an accessible picnic bench, and two interactive play panels. Lichfield District Council confirmed the projects were complete on Friday.

None of the three came from the council’s own parks budget. Each was paid for by a different outside pot, and only one of the sums has been published.

Who paid for what

The teen hangout was funded by a £3,000 social value contribution from LUC, the independent planning consultancy, topped up with UK Shared Prosperity Fund money. LUC gave the money through its “Our Community Can” programme, and it is tied to work the firm did for the council on the Lichfield Green Infrastructure Study.

The accessible picnic bench and the two play panels came from the council’s Clean and Green programme. The three district councillors for the Summerfield and All Saints ward, Kathy Coe, Michael Galvin and Sharon Banevicius, allocated the money from their ward’s share (Lichfield District Council, 28 August 2026).

Which fund paid for each of the three new facilities at Burntwood Park The teen hangout area was paid for by a 3,000 pound social value contribution from LUC plus UK Shared Prosperity Fund money. The accessible picnic bench and the two interactive play panels were both paid for from the Summerfield and All Saints ward allocation under the council's Clean and Green programme, a 75,000 pound UK Shared Prosperity Fund pot. The council has not published the cost of the bench or the panels. Three new things at Burntwood Park, three different pots What the council has published about how each was paid for. Teen hangout area Seating and swinging hammocks £3,000 social value gift from LUC, plus UKSPF money (amount not published) Accessible picnic bench One bench Cost not published Clean and Green, from the Summerfield and All Saints ward allocation Interactive play panels Two panels Cost not published Clean and Green, from the Summerfield and All Saints ward allocation Clean and Green is a £75,000 UK Shared Prosperity Fund pot for the whole district, split between ward councillors. The per-ward share is not published. Sources: Lichfield District Council news releases, 28 August 2026 and 3 June 2026. Graphic by Lichfield Today
What the council has said about the money behind each of the three additions.

The £75,000 behind the ward allocations

Clean and Green is not a Burntwood scheme. It is a £75,000 UK Shared Prosperity Fund pot for the whole district, handed to ward councillors to spend on small environmental improvements in their own patch.

The council listed what else it has bought this year:

  • clean-up and improvement works to roundabouts in Burntwood
  • new bins in Harlaston, to tackle dog fouling
  • clearance of a footpath on London Road in Bourne Vale
  • new fencing and hedge planting at Stonnall playing fields, part of wider flood management work
  • enhancements to Boley Cottage Lane
  • a concrete chess board at Burntwood Leisure Centre

That last one is worth knowing about if you live in Chasetown. It was installed for community use and is free to play on (Lichfield District Council, 3 June 2026).

What the council has not said

The £3,000 from LUC is the only figure attached to any of the Burntwood Park work. The council has not published:

  • what the teen hangout cost in total, or how much UKSPF money went into it
  • what the accessible picnic bench or the two play panels cost
  • how much each ward gets from the £75,000 Clean and Green pot

That last point matters more than it sounds. If you want your own street or green space improved, the size of your ward’s allocation is the number that tells you whether it is worth asking. It is not on the council’s website.

What it means for you

If you use Burntwood Park, the three additions are open now and free. The teen hangout is a dedicated space for young people, and the council says it is also meant to support contact with its Parks team, Active Lichfield and local neighbourhood policing.

If you want something similar in your area, the route is your ward councillor, not the council’s customer contact centre. Clean and Green money is allocated by ward members, so the ask goes to them. You can find yours on the council’s district councillors page.

There is a second, separate route for community groups. Every Lichfield District ward councillor holds £300 a year in a councillor community fund, which is open now and can pay for equipment, materials or a one-off event. It is a small sum, but it is the one pot with a published per-councillor figure (Lichfield District Council, community and business funding).

Burntwood Park sits within the Summerfield and All Saints ward. Parking is free if you drive: all three Lichfield District Council car parks in Burntwood are free with a 24-hour maximum stay, and the charges across the district are set out on our roadworks and travel page. It is the second district park to get new equipment this month, after the £75,000 transformation of Elford Community Park.

Sources