Multi-million Lichfield plan tendered

Work on a multi-million-pound project to transform Lichfield's historic city centre parks has gone out to tender.

Seven companies have entered the race to win the contract.

The major works will see Beacon Park, the Gardens of Remembrance and Minster Pool and Walk transformed.

One of the contenders is Staffordshire-based Thomas Vale Construction.

Lichfield District Council made a successful bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund and the Big Lottery Fund and was awarded a grant of £3.919 million in April to help pay for the scheme.

Historic features including statues, balustrades, gates and a fountain will be painstakingly restored as part of the project, which also incorporates plans for a lakeside cafe and a new bowls pavilion within Beacon Park.

As well as preserving the parks for the future, the district council is hoping the makeover will help position the city as the "cultural and heritage centre" of Staffordshire, enticing more visitors and boosting the local economy.

Nearly 30 companies contacted Lichfield District Council to register their interest in undertaking the contract.

Seven of those applicants have now been invited to tender, following an assessment by district council officers and leaders.

UCS Civils Ltd, English Landscapes, P Casey Ltd, Tilhill Forestry, Mansell Construction Services, Bal-four Beatty Regional Civil Engineering and Thomas Vale Construction, of Stoke-on-Trent, will all be bidding for the contract.

As well as the renovation of structures including the war memorial in the Gardens of Remembrance, the project will see new benches, lighting and litter bins installed in the city's parks.

Tree and shrub planting as well as the introduction of a new woodland management regime are intended to encourage enhanced biodiversity in Lichfield's green spaces.

Work on the Lichfield Parks Project is due to get under way in September 2009, and is expected to take around 18 months to complete.