Lichfield developers paid £5.4m in 2025/26, and £2.6m of it went to the county council. The £1.1m for Streethay Community Centre had not been started by March.
Developers paid more than £5.4 million towards infrastructure in Lichfield district in 2025/26, the council says. But nearly half of that money was passed on to the county.
Of the £2.9 million paid under Section 106 planning agreements, £2,625,874 was transferred to Staffordshire County Council for highways and education (Infrastructure Funding Statement report, 3 November 2026).
The other part of the total is the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL), a fixed charge on new development. It raised £2,534,561, the most in any year since charging began in 2016 (Infrastructure Funding Statement 2026).
Cabinet approved the figures on 3 November (council release, 4 November 2026).
One site paid almost all of the Section 106 money
Land at Cricket Lane accounted for £2,710,875 of the £2,903,498 received. That is 93%. Of it, £2,280,369 was for education and £334,888 for highways (statement, table 8).
The district also recorded 36 affordable homes delivered through these agreements:
- 17 at Watery Lane, Curborough
- 11 at Burton Road, Streethay
- 8 next to Hayes Meadow Primary School, Handsacre
Where the money was spent
The council spent £1,917,498 of Section 106 money in the year. The largest items were:
- £720,029 on affordable housing, used towards buying 8 units of temporary accommodation
- £562,136 on ecological mitigation, from the Harrier Centre site at Fradley
- £472,166 towards the new leisure centre and indoor sport
- £96,778 on maintaining public open space
- £84,045 on protecting the Cannock Chase Special Area of Conservation
It spent £919,084 of the levy. Parish and town councils received £214,510 of that, including £90,013 for Lichfield and £65,574 for Burntwood. The council kept £126,728, its permitted 5%, for running the scheme.
Who won money in March
The council allocated £1,475,534 of strategic levy money on 3 March 2026:
| Project | Amount | Position at 31 March |
|---|---|---|
| Streethay Community Centre | £500,000 | Not started |
| Chasewater Pump Track, Burntwood | £300,000 | In principle, site not yet agreed |
| Chasetown FC changing rooms | £200,000 | Expected by August 2026 |
| Burntwood Rugby Club pitch | £105,000 | Not given in the status table |
| Victory Terrace play area, Fazeley | £99,454 | Expected by August 2026 |
| Burntwood Dragons and Phoenix FC café and toilets | £80,000 | Expected by end of 2026 |
| Lichfield College art gallery | £75,000 | Expected by September 2026 |
| Lichfield Hockey Club pitch | £60,000 | Complete |
| Crown green at Lichfield Sports Club | £36,000 | Complete |
| Elford Boys FC car park | £14,500 | Expected by September 2026 |
| Hopwas defibrillator | £3,000 | Expected by end of 2026 |
| Kings Bromley Bowling Club | £2,580 | Complete |
The status dates come from the statement, which reports to 31 March, so some of these may since have finished.
The big allocations still waiting
The statement names three as key risks (statement, paragraph 1.8):
- Burntwood Health Centre, £1,152,110. Awarded in February 2025. The council set a September 2026 deadline for planning progress before it would consider withdrawing the money. An application did arrive, 26/00934/FULM, but Idox still showed it as pending on 5 November, and Sport England has objected.
- Chasewater Pump Track, £300,000. It needs an agreed site before the money can be spent.
- Streethay Community Centre, £600,000. Awarded in February 2022 and “not started”. A further £500,000 was added in March 2026, taking it to £1.1 million.
What is left in the pot
At 31 March 2026 the strategic levy stood like this:
- £1,802,619 spent since charging began
- £4,533,650 committed to approved projects
- £55,743 unallocated
The council also held £3,477,072 of Section 106 money. Of that, £1,007,581 is for long-term open space maintenance.
Why the next round matters
The council proposes to open a new bidding round this month, with awards going to Cabinet in March 2027. A further round could begin in April 2027, subject to local government reorganisation.
Bids must fit one of four priorities:
- health
- sport
- community facilities, culture, heritage and visitor infrastructure
- open space
The report gives a plain reason for moving quickly. It says any strategic levy money not spent in 2026/27 for the benefit of the district “is at risk of being used by a new authority on priorities outside of the current Lichfield district boundary”.
What it means for you
- Clubs and parish councils can bid soon. Check with the council once the round opens. The athletics track campaign has already been pointed here.
- School and road money is reported elsewhere. Staffordshire County Council publishes its own statement for what it does with the £2.6 million.
- Parish councils have to report too. They must set out how they spent their share by 31 December.
An internal audit in July rated the council’s controls over collecting and recording this money as “moderate”.
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