coventry developments (revised) [Archive]

skybluecity

March 16th, 2006, 11:31 AM

i agree that some of the developments look a bit samey, however they are clearly of high quality and that is important. countless times our council have sanctioned low quality developments (eg the gala bingo hall on fairfax st) that have soon become dated.

not sure of the planning status of park court. there is nothing on the council planning site so i can only assume this hasn´t gone before planning yet (can't imagine a development so big would have slipped by unnoticed). got the images from the cassidygroup website, and there is no news on there either. but there is no doubt this is a serious proposal and looking at the images i'm sure this will go ahead.

a decision on swanswell and the ring-road is long overdue. the previous labour administration carried out a public consultation and put 4 proposals to people living in the swanswell area. the options were:

1 do minimum - basically tart up the ring-road a bit (replace cladding etc) and try and open up some land for development.

2 remove the swanswell junction on the ring-road thus freeing up limited land for development.

3 the preferred option to flatten the ring-road and create the boulevard (as pictured above).

4 create an underpass between london road and foleshill road junctions.

the public were asked to vote, and option 3 was the overwhelming winner. then the tories took control and the whole thing was put on hold. what they are waiting for i dont know and clearly they need to make a decision soon. personally i would expect an announcement before the summer and a lot of things seem to be in place (funding etc). im confident option 3 will be given the green light - but it will be messy and no doubt the letters page of the CET will be full of whingers complaining that the money would be better spent filling in holes in the road. some things never change.

foolsgold

March 17th, 2006, 08:22 PM

More Belgrade Plaza.

http://us.f13.yahoofs.com/bc/441afc71_8953/bc/My+Documents/belgrade1small.jpg?bfVGwGEBzdhkVFOo

http://us.f13.yahoofs.com/bc/441afc71_8953/bc/My+Documents/belgrade2small.jpg?bfVGwGEBR75JgogX

http://us.f13.yahoofs.com/bc/441afc71_8953/bc/My+Documents/belgrade3small.jpg?bfVGwGEBILj1ugV8

Looking good I think.

Dr Pepper

March 18th, 2006, 01:03 AM

We recently sold our church building in Queens St Hillfields to City College Coventry as its the location of their new buildings. I attended a meeting with the college people at the councils planning dept and I asked about swanswell option 3. The council guy said it was still the preferred option. I suspect the planners are working towards lowering the ring road but the Tory council (they who pulled funding for the Herbert development, drove busses across Millennium Place and kept the ugly as sin bus station open) may wish to save a few quid in the short term by keeping the ring road as it is.

The above images are really impressive. Orange seems to be a very popular colour with developers.

Also, found this about a development called Godiva Place. Couldn't work out where in Cov it was supposed to be. http://www.dtruk.com/projects/godiva.html

foolsgold

March 18th, 2006, 01:58 AM

I wonder if the use of orange is anything to do with the traditional orange sandstone so many of the old buildings are made of. Trying to develop a unique style for Cov I guess.

Godiva Place, if I remember correctly, is somewhere around the Sky Blue Way/Lower Ford Street roundabout. Don't know anything about a development there though.

inspired

March 18th, 2006, 08:16 PM

just clicked on the link above to Godiva Place...the bit of blurb about the development seems very impressive.

I wondered if someone can do a map of the city and highlight all these new developments on it to show how the city will be changing, esp the centre.

rottersclub

March 21st, 2006, 03:33 AM

rottersclub

March 21st, 2006, 03:58 AM

Good work SkyBlue...great new thread.

I didnt realise how big the park Court development was ging to be. Im glad new things are being developed in the city but i have to say from all the illustrations above all the renders look very similar, nothing very unique which the city needs.

I do hope the swanswell project goes ahead, have the council warmed to the idea of dropping that section of the ring-road, otherwise they scheme wouldnt really work and we'll have bits/cut outs from the overall plan which will totally ruin that side of the city

What's "unique" today looks like crap tomorrow - see the "elephant" sports centre, which was once considered new and trendy. These are OK - functional, but with some design, different sizes, and more importantly, enclosed spaces which Coventry lacks - and office/retail/leisure facilities as well. It strikes me as being much more sustainable than the 1960s stuff, which blobbed housing in areas with no facilities. It's also very much European in style, with passageways and apartments above retail/office units. I'd say stuff like this what Coventry needs rather than vanity projects. I guess you could say that the city already has its three spires which are more than adequete for Identity - and should be used more - and no modern building is ever going to top them (Or the old/new Cathedral combination.)

I've read that Swanswell is being mooted as a location for something really tall - which would make sense, as it's in a valley and I doubt they would want to build anything that dominates the Three Spires too much. In the 1960s two 35 storey towers were planned for Swanswell, but cancelled when it became apparent the existing high rises were unpopular.

Once problem that may arise in the future is the issue of views. I believe Coventry has a fairly comprehensive set of "protected views" that can restrict buildings in certain positions.

rottersclub

March 22nd, 2006, 01:12 AM

rottersclub

March 22nd, 2006, 01:13 AM

Just opposite Ikea they are building a 14 storey apartment block. Demolition has started on the old manky post-war building there (Used to be offices for Rover!).

pauliewalnuts

March 22nd, 2006, 01:47 AM

Ikea have apparently redesigned their city centre store in Coventry, after the council requested something with more architectural merit. It seems that the new store will include windows (The original was just blue walls) and also "floating" restaurant and a terrace restaurant. It's also being moved closer to Spon Street and reduced by 19ft in height.

Is this the first time IKEA have put a store in a city centre in the UK?

It'll be interesting to see what it does to the traffic in the area - having seen what it can be like towards the Wednesbury store, I dread to think of the effect of that on a city centre.

skybluecity

March 22nd, 2006, 06:23 PM

rottersclub

March 22nd, 2006, 07:52 PM

coventry is probably better placed than any city to cope with a city centre ikea store as the ring-road disperses traffic so well. that said they'll still be problems, but well worth it when you consider the positive impact the store will have on the local economy. the life has been sucked out of city centres by out of town retail parks. hopefully this will reverse the trend a bit.

The ringroad's a nightmare - I get stuck on it almost every day while driving to work. Most of the exits are jammed up some nights, and as soon as you get off them, you're into a traffic jams. It's just good at shifting traffic into jams.

I preferred it when you could actually drive round the city centre inside the ringroad - they shut it all off years ago, and now there's no traffic, no pedestrians, no shops & empty buses driving along bus lanes.

IKEA will hopefully provide an injection of something. Coventry's retail sector has been getting worse over the last few years. Although I suspect most people will drive to Ikea, shop at Ikea, then leave.

rottersclub

March 22nd, 2006, 07:56 PM

Looks like Jaguar are moving their Global HQ to Whitley, and Browns Lane has been bought by a construction firm who are going to be employing 2000 people making modular units for new houses/hotels/etc. Big new company, and good for the local economy.

Parts of the Landrover & Volvo (Engineering & Customer side) are also being moved to Whitley, and they are building a new business park next to it - expected to create 2000 more jobs.

The Car Museum at Browns Lane will move to Whitley, along with the veneer manufacturing plant currently at Browns Lane...

All in all, good news. Coventry remains home of the Big Cat.

Dr Pepper

March 28th, 2006, 12:34 AM

skybluecity

March 28th, 2006, 07:31 PM

i'm sure these proposals have been made with the SI in mind. that is certainly the case with the flats that are being built behind ultraseal - there are a number of references to the proposed boulevard in the planning application. the ultraseal building is set back quite a way from the ring-road so i imagine the boulevard would bypass it, but i can't be 100% sure of that.

rottersclub

March 28th, 2006, 08:02 PM

Just had a thought about the proposed development on the site of Ultraseal.. Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't the proposed Swanswell boulavard going to run straight through the middle of this site? The plans have it running from the roundabout at the bottom of Sky Blue Way in a straight line to the roundabout for Foleshill Rd. You can see it in the Swanswell image above. I can't see the council allowing the towers. Perhaps its just a way for Ultraseal to increase the potential value of their land and thus get more money when Mr CPO Man comes a knocking.

Are Ultraseal closing down or moving to an "out of town location"? It seems that more and more business in Coventry is moving out - Astleys is being turned into a Student Halls, and the chap who owns that dismal Mosley trading was making noises about building apartments on the site of the store.

Odd - all these apartments, but very few new places of work. Commuting FROM a city centre to suburbs?

inspired

March 29th, 2006, 07:33 PM

rottersclub

March 29th, 2006, 09:07 PM

Paragon Park?

Does anyone know if Paragon Park is still going ahead? This was a development out in Foleshill that included:

High Street
Office development (Approx 3000 employees)
Apartments
Housing
Marina/Canal extensions

(Buildings ranged from 3 -> 10 storeys).

The application seems to have been "withdrawn" although the report states that due to its size it's been referred to Prescott.

rottersclub

March 30th, 2006, 01:58 AM

I went past the old city-engineers site on the foleshill road today and noticed two large boards on the entrance displaying the name of a construction company dean dyball. Their website (http://www.deandyball.co.uk/)stats
"Dean and Dyball is a multi-disciplinary construction and property development group with in-house resources that give us a flexibility and speed of response few in the industry can match."

Does anybody know whats going on at this site?

I believe that this is part of the "Electric Wharf" Creative Quarter development/Swanswell Initiative - the old Power Station has been converted to apartments & offices, and I believe the next step is to build more offices for arts/creative businesses on the rest of the site, as well as canal extensions and new bridges.

I've seen a number of articles in the local press detailing the success of the development. The offices are live/work offices.

http://www.cswp.org.uk/index.asp?slevel=0z425z441z683&parent_id=683

This is the first phase, currently being built:

http://www.coventryinspires.com/electricwharf/index.htm

http://www.shortland-horne.co.uk/news.cfm?newsid=57

It's not a development that's had much press, but there has been a steady stream of businesses in the Creative/IT area moving in.

It's eventualy going to be linked to the Swanswell Initiative, and thinking about it - the SI is a rather large area.

It's mentioned here:

http://money.independent.co.uk/property/homes/article339215.ece

Which is a nice article that's fairly upbeat at Coventry, something of a first, and doesn't fall into the usual tired cliches (It also mentions Earlsdon, where I'm lucky enough to live!)

inspired

April 1st, 2006, 02:48 PM

rottersclub

April 1st, 2006, 04:43 PM

any current news on the Swanswell Initiative. Seems to be allot of vacant land is appearing around this area now as they've demolished a building behind the ambulance station and turned it into a car park for now, as well as the new car park in front of the ambulance station. I've also notice the old Planet nightclub has been demolished as well. Looks like the area is being prepped up for something to happen there.

Swanswell has all gone quiet.

Coventry University Owned the planet, so expect something University based going up there.

Remember, Cov & Warwick hospital is closing shortly - when the new hospital opens in Walsgrave. So that's another huge chunk of land up for redevelopment. I hope they keep the "Beehive". It's a distinctive landmark.

Dr Pepper

April 2nd, 2006, 01:11 AM

The new City College building will be starting construction soon. The land by Swanswell St/Stoney Stanton Rd/Harnell Lane East has boardings up and there are a lot of earth movers behind it. Now the last of the earmarked flats are down the building of the learning quarter can begin.

rottersclub

April 2nd, 2006, 01:11 AM

Is Coventry better off as a "Coventry and Warwickshire" sub region?

http://www.cw-chamber.co.uk/chamber/2020_vision/

inspired

April 2nd, 2006, 02:31 PM

just had a look at some of the presentations from the site - http://www.cw-chamber.co.uk/chamber/2020_vision/

One interesting question is how coventry will far in the future with an up-coming and growing northampton/milton keynes not too far from coventry and warwickshires borders.

I think it will enhance Coventrys reputation if it was associated as the main city within a county, but then its importance will only be validated if the county was structured around the city , i.e. a base for the administrative offices of the county like the county council moving into coventry! - imagine that .

rottersclub

April 3rd, 2006, 07:36 PM

Biosonic

April 3rd, 2006, 09:41 PM

We want you! Come play with the Birmingham City-Region :happy:

Just because you have a road to Warwick doesn't mean you can't build one to Birmingham too...

rottersclub

April 3rd, 2006, 10:30 PM

We want you! Come play with the Birmingham City-Region :happy:

No thanks!

inspired

April 3rd, 2006, 10:53 PM

To be honest, I don't think they know what to do with Coventry. It's not part of the West Midlands conurbation, and including it with that was not an idea situation. However, it's not a county town.

Now I'm just waiting.

waiting for??

inspired

April 3rd, 2006, 10:55 PM

local elections are near.

Will a change in power bring about changes in the policies of developments in the pipe-line, i.e swanswell & pool meadow

rottersclub

April 3rd, 2006, 11:09 PM

local elections are near.

Will a change in power bring about changes in the policies of developments in the pipe-line, i.e swanswell & pool meadow

I don't know. Pool Meadow is a fiasco. Like the railway station, it's in a rubbish location, and the last council had to the guts to realise this.

The Tories have re-opened it, ruined the Phoenix Initiative, and forced bus companies to use it.

Let's be blunt - the only people who were interested are the 1000 or so pensioners who signed the petition. Anyone with any sense realises that a bus station that's away from the main centre is just no use. The mantra seems to be "There has to be a bus station"... Does there? Why? What was wrong with hubs located in areas where there was a defined need for a lot of bus usage? They are just keeping it for the sake of keeping it for a bunch of pensioners who want to get off at sainsbury's. As they were losing millions on it per year, for ten years, why do they think it'll suddenly be a success?

Don't even get me started on the railway station.

Biosonic

April 4th, 2006, 10:32 AM

No thanks!

OK don't then. Your loss ;)

Dr Pepper

April 4th, 2006, 11:15 AM

rottersclub

April 4th, 2006, 07:36 PM

OK don't then. Your loss ;)

I doubt it! I've read some of the documents and it's pretty clearly something that won't benefit anywhere but Brum - a brief glance shows the clear intention of it - a tax gathering strategy to divert cash to Birmingham. The document talks about "if we have this tax gathering mayor in Brum, we can build a new station in New Street! We can do this in Brum. We can do that."

The government don't give a shit about the midlands - they're encouraging new towns to grow. Brum is too close to London to be powerful - it's never going to attract the sort of financial industries that make London the UK economic powerhouse - and they're building a huge artificial city just down the road taking in Milton Keynes and Northampton - both infinitely more prosperous than Coventry or Brum, and both of them lacking huge areas of deprivation.

Don't delude yourself that this plan is anything but a means of the government being able to offload regional agencies and replace them with local taxing strategies that will be incredibly unpopular. Do you really think people in Coventry will want to pay tax to a Brummie mayor so they can tart up Birmingham?

rottersclub

April 4th, 2006, 07:43 PM

I was in town yesterday by the bus station watching the chaos of the new bus lane across Millennium Place. The combination of two way traffic using the lane (not just busses) and pedestrian crossings stopping traffic has filled a relatively quiet and traffic free area with noise, fumes and congestion. The Conservatives are a bunch of muppets. Hopefully they will be voted out in May and a new Labour one will have the balls to knock Pool Meadow down.

It's a disaster. I wrote to the millennium commission to complain that a development they part funded was being destroyed and they should claim back their funding.

I think the two main parties are crap. The Labour party were building stuff without any finance behind it, and the Tories have made an incredibly bad decision with Pool Meadow - it defies any logic and common sense.

The Lib Dems are so far out of it, they're virtually pointless, and the socialiasts would just turn everything into social housing.

They just spend YEARS building bus lanes down Binley road, and now just cut all the buses that USE Binley road. What a waste of space. I'd close down all the buses myself. It'd contain the Pikeys and make the traffic move a lot better.

inspired

April 4th, 2006, 07:53 PM

inspired

April 4th, 2006, 07:56 PM

The government don't give a shit about the midlands - they're encouraging new towns to grow. Brum is too close to London to be powerful - it's never going to attract the sort of financial industries that make London the UK economic powerhouse -

i can see places like leeds overtaking birmingham where gdp is the growing much more than in birmingham, and not forgetting manchester.

Biosonic

April 4th, 2006, 08:14 PM

I doubt it! I've read some of the documents and it's pretty clearly something that won't benefit anywhere but Brum - a brief glance shows the clear intention of it - a tax gathering strategy to divert cash to Birmingham. The document talks about "if we have this tax gathering mayor in Brum, we can build a new station in New Street! We can do this in Brum. We can do that."

The government don't give a shit about the midlands - they're encouraging new towns to grow. Brum is too close to London to be powerful - it's never going to attract the sort of financial industries that make London the UK economic powerhouse - and they're building a huge artificial city just down the road taking in Milton Keynes and Northampton - both infinitely more prosperous than Coventry or Brum, and both of them lacking huge areas of deprivation.

Don't delude yourself that this plan is anything but a means of the government being able to offload regional agencies and replace them with local taxing strategies that will be incredibly unpopular. Do you really think people in Coventry will want to pay tax to a Brummie mayor so they can tart up Birmingham?

So why does Telford want to join the city-region? Because they want to give some of their business tax to Birmingham?

Birmingham will benefit from a directly-elected mayor, but that issue and the city-region are two separate (but not mutually exclusive) issues. New St Station is a NATIONAL matter, so what's the beef with it being rebuilt? I would hazard a guess that much of the money will be spent around the NEC/airport, Birmingham, Coventry (if it joins in), Walsall and West Bromwich centres, the Midland Metro and a wholesale reconstruction of the Black Country giving it a proper transport infrastructure and unlocking its potential.

The government will only give a shit about the midlands when we shout loud enough, and all the petty squabbling that goes on will ensure we are by-passed time and again. It is easier to build a new town than it is to sort the difficulties of the Black Country or northern cities, that's why it is so popular, and whilst London retains the power it will continue to have commuter towns around it.

Milton Keynes and Northampton are not going to merge, although MK is going to expand fairly rapidly. And why is that? Because the West Midlands hasn't pulled its act together. We are in a prime position to take advantage of our proximity to London but we don't. The statement "Brum is too close to London to be powerful" is simply wrong. Brum was a mighty city in the past (just like Cov) and is a pretty powerful one now. I believe we have the largest financial services and legal sectors outside London, and are (sadly) the second highest in terms of manufacturing after the south-east. And Northampton does have deprivation, and once MK has grown and settled, it will grow there, just like every city with a high population density.

The whole point of a directly-elected mayor is to make local government and governance accountable. So what happens if the WMids gets a mayor that siphons money into Brum? He gets booted out because the collective power of the Black Country, Wolves, Cov, Solihull and the orbital towns outnumber Brum.

What will Cov do if it doesn't join the party? Stranded between the new city of Milton Keynes and the Birmingham City Region? If Coventry city fathers wish to manage its decline into a charming market town then so be it, but I thought Coventry had a bit more gusto than that. Coventry has a part to play in the Birmingham City Region, and I believe it should be with us :)

foolsgold

April 4th, 2006, 09:52 PM

Anyway, back on topic, what are Primark doing with the old Allders building? I saw there was work starting there last time I was in Cov - presumably they're going to improve the external appearance at least a little bit? It looks dreadful and while I'm resigned to the fact it will probably still look dreadful it'd be nice if it looked a little bit less so.

morestoreysplease

April 4th, 2006, 10:03 PM

rottersclub

April 4th, 2006, 10:55 PM

MartinN - your attitude is so alike the people I work with in Coventry. I've never known such vitriol against a neighbouring city and it's citizens (mocking accents too). They even have the audacity to look down on Birmingham! What a laughable and pathetic situation. I like Coventry as a city but it's citizens have a lot to learn.
Of course, every single built-up area would benefit in a Greater Birmingham City Region from Telford to Warwick - the power of such an area of diverse skills and attractions is a success story waiting to happen.

What virtiol? I simply stated that I don't see what benefit Coventry will get from being lumped in with Brum and a load of other distant places. The West Midlands County didn't help Coventry - in fact, it went through its worse recession during that time. Why is an elected mayor in a diffferent town, with a different name going to help Coventry? It won't. Why would people in Coventry want to pay a local tax to an authority that's distant and has no real idea of the local needs?

You keep saying everyone will benefit, but how?

For Coventry, it'll represent a huge loss of local decision making - we already have our public transport decided by "West Midlands Travel" in Birmingham, and they're constantly changing it without any idea as to what is needed.

rottersclub

April 4th, 2006, 11:19 PM

So why does Telford want to join the city-region? Because they want to give some of their business tax to Birmingham?

Birmingham will benefit from a directly-elected mayor, but that issue and the city-region are two separate (but not mutually exclusive) issues. New St Station is a NATIONAL matter, so what's the beef with it being rebuilt? I would hazard a guess that much of the money will be spent around the NEC/airport, Birmingham, Coventry (if it joins in), Walsall and West Bromwich centres, the Midland Metro and a wholesale reconstruction of the Black Country giving it a proper transport infrastructure and unlocking its potential.

The government will only give a shit about the midlands when we shout loud enough, and all the petty squabbling that goes on will ensure we are by-passed time and again. It is easier to build a new town than it is to sort the difficulties of the Black Country or northern cities, that's why it is so popular, and whilst London retains the power it will continue to have commuter towns around it.

Milton Keynes and Northampton are not going to merge, although MK is going to expand fairly rapidly. And why is that? Because the West Midlands hasn't pulled its act together. We are in a prime position to take advantage of our proximity to London but we don't. The statement "Brum is too close to London to be powerful" is simply wrong. Brum was a mighty city in the past (just like Cov) and is a pretty powerful one now. I believe we have the largest financial services and legal sectors outside London, and are (sadly) the second highest in terms of manufacturing after the south-east. And Northampton does have deprivation, and once MK has grown and settled, it will grow there, just like every city with a high population density.

The whole point of a directly-elected mayor is to make local government and governance accountable. So what happens if the WMids gets a mayor that siphons money into Brum? He gets booted out because the collective power of the Black Country, Wolves, Cov, Solihull and the orbital towns outnumber Brum.

What will Cov do if it doesn't join the party? Stranded between the new city of Milton Keynes and the Birmingham City Region? If Coventry city fathers wish to manage its decline into a charming market town then so be it, but I thought Coventry had a bit more gusto than that. Coventry has a part to play in the Birmingham City Region, and I believe it should be with us :)

You are right. The West Midlands didn't pull its act together, but it's not Milton Keynes - the area relied too much on traditional industries and missed out completely on the IT and high tech industries. That moved into the M4 corridor & M11 Cambridge area. This region is having a hard time catching up.

Coventry already has a local government that's accountable. With a mayor elected for a diverse, artificial region, it's not got an accountable local government. It'll have to like it or lump it - and what happens will be dictated by the conurbation - transport, for example (Coventry's transport system is rubbish, and its run from Birmingham. When we get leaflets saying "this is what we are doing" Coventry is never mentioned, despite being the 2nd largest area in the West Midlands.).

I've nothing against the authorities working together, but this is too much and too far, with a poor track in the UK, and something that's already been rejected anyway.

rottersclub

April 4th, 2006, 11:22 PM

i can see places like leeds overtaking birmingham where gdp is the growing much more than in birmingham, and not forgetting manchester.

Ah no, the City Region is coming. The Mayor of Brum will fix it all. Don't worry.

rottersclub

April 5th, 2006, 12:01 AM

It would seem that there are reservation within Advantage West Midlands:

"In conclusion, it is clear that the economic basis for City Regions has not been clearly tested and there is no acknowledgement of the different economic geographies in various parts of the country (i.e. from the northern, single unitary authority, surrounded by a rural ‘hinterland’, to the polycentric West Midlands with its complex web of economic relationships across adjoining local authorities)."

Which I think is a good point.

Biosonic

April 5th, 2006, 12:04 PM

What virtiol?.... ....we already have our public transport decided by "West Midlands Travel" in Birmingham, and they're constantly changing it without any idea as to what is needed.

That sounds borderline vitriolic to me, and it sounds like a deep dislike of Birmingham (for whatever reasons) hiding under a mask of rationality.

"West Midlands Travel" is a private company that happens to be based in Brum. It is not some great Birmingham conspiracy to keep Coventry down.

It would seem that there are reservation within Advantage West Midlands:

"In conclusion, it is clear that the economic basis for City Regions has not been clearly tested and there is no acknowledgement of the different economic geographies in various parts of the country (i.e. from the northern, single unitary authority, surrounded by a rural ‘hinterland’, to the polycentric West Midlands with its complex web of economic relationships across adjoining local authorities)."

Which I think is a good point.

It is a good point and I wouldn't suggest for one minute that we start it up tomorrow. Lots of things have to be sorted out before it will go ahead.

Why would people in Coventry want to pay a local tax to an authority that's distant and has no real idea of the local needs?

You keep saying everyone will benefit, but how?

"People in Coventry" wouldn't - the limited tax raising powers are business rates and would be to the Birmingham City-Region Authority. The authority is currently suggested to be made up of local councillors from all members and business leaders (maybe with a few laymen thrown in for good measure). That may or may not progress on to a directly elected mayor which is more accountable, and may even produce a Coventrarian (?) as mayor.

The benefits will be the region will speak with one voice and represent a large sector of the British population and GDP. Westminster will have to listen and it will also build business links within the West Mids. Transport will be organised regionally instead of the pieemeal approach we currently have, and things like housing and education can be organised regionally (as quite often the houses and schools near borders of councils are the ones that are forgotten about).

I would say it is in Coventry's benefit to join, but of course it it doesn't want to it doesn't have to, but it strikes me as one hell of a gamble if it doesn't.

inspired

April 11th, 2006, 07:52 PM

just seen a report on the local itv news (central news) on the impressive new 'super' hospital, costing £400 million to develop. Looks very, very impressive. The report states that when complete, it will be the biggest (or one of the biggest) in Europe and its 1/4 of a mile long. - Impressive development but will have to wait to see what level of service it brings to the city of coventry and county of warwickshire

I also heard future plans in the pipeline of developing the area around the hospital into a new business/science park catering solely for the pharmaceutical industry and targeting top end high tech pharmaceutical firms.

Biosonic

April 11th, 2006, 10:10 PM

^^Is that Walsgrave? I know one of the hospitals in Cov is up for a major redevelopment (I had some minor involvement) but I don't know the name as it was just called Coventry NHS.

inspired

April 11th, 2006, 10:37 PM

the Coventry and warwickshire hospital near the city centre is closing and the area will be part of the proposed swanswell initiative which will probably double the size of the city centre if all the proposed plans go ahead - including the lowering of the ring road.
The walsgrave hospital is the main one thats left.

Biosonic

April 18th, 2006, 04:05 PM

Another bad day for the Midlands and motoring: :(

2,300 jobs go in Peugeot closure

Peugeot is to close its plant at Ryton near Coventry with the loss of 2,300 jobs, it has been announced.

The plant is to cease production in mid-2007.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/coventry_warwickshire/4919312.stm

Or do we already know this?

SimLim

April 18th, 2006, 04:57 PM

pauliewalnuts

April 18th, 2006, 05:38 PM

The West Midlands County didn't help Coventry - in fact, it went through its worse recession during that time.

That's a bit misleading, the entire country (other than the south east) dived into recession shortly after that time, to imply it was in some way because of Cov being part of the West Midlands is misleading.

I get the distinct impression that a city region not including Coventry would be disastrous for the city.

pauliewalnuts

April 18th, 2006, 05:47 PM

people say its bad, but for me, I feel its a blessing in disguise.

The Midlands has to break away from a manufacturing economy, Britain and the UK only has another 100 or so years left in such an industry and the sooner the regional sector is more on technology then mass production the better prepared we will be for the future..

If anything, I'd say 100 years is very optimistic. European manufacturing struggles to compete with the far east / southern asia as it is, this will only get worse.

I'm with you on the need for a gradual move away from manufacturing, towards service industries - Birmingham already is the second largest insurance market in Europe, has the second largest financial services sector in the country, and is by some way the second largest legal sector outside the capital. There are 100,000 people employed in the city in professional and financial services. This is the way to go.

We need to get over mourning the death of Rover, which is pointless - there was no way the company was ever going to survive in the long term, and for the last few years was nothing other than a nice pension plan for the Phoenix Four.

What we need to do is make sure that we go on improving the city and the region, so that the 60,000 graduates we churn out every year feel they want to stay in the area and build their careers there.

Dr Pepper

April 20th, 2006, 10:42 PM

At least with Rover limping on for 4 years longer than BMW were prepared to sustain it, Rover's suppliers had some time to diversify their customer base. That alone probably saved several thousand jobs.

inspired

April 21st, 2006, 12:01 PM

glad to see that IKEA has been given planning permission for its first IKEA store in the country that is based in a city centre.
http://iccoventry.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0100localnews/tm_objectid=16974541%26method=full%26siteid=50003%26headline=planners%2dgive%2dikea%2dgo%2dahead-name_page.html

inspired

April 21st, 2006, 01:21 PM

just came across this website concerning some plans for a 'coventry masterplan'

http://www.hodderassociates.co.uk/portfoli/choice/cov.htm

inspired

April 21st, 2006, 01:27 PM

image of new college - part of the swanswell initiative
http://www.covcollege.ac.uk/swanswell/downloads/060705-04%20City%20College%20Coventry%20-%20Perspective.jpg

skybluecity

April 21st, 2006, 05:53 PM

just came across this website concerning some plans for a 'coventry masterplan'

http://www.hodderassociates.co.uk/portfoli/choice/cov.htm

those plans date back to 1997 and was one of the phoenix initiative proposals that was rejected, so it will never actually happen.

would have actually prefered this propsal as it was on a much bigger scale than the one we got.

Dr Pepper

April 22nd, 2006, 02:04 AM

This masterplan seems different from the one featured in the pictures on the 'Coming Soon' Phoenix Initiative signs that were errected around that area. Does anyone have any of these?

inspired

April 22nd, 2006, 07:47 PM

Dr Pepper

May 1st, 2006, 02:03 AM

Building work on the first part of the new City College can now be seen. A steel frame (probably the stairwells) is rising up near Swanswell St. Their aim is to be open for students in September 2007.

On a different subject, does anyone know when Ikea are due to knock down the old Co-Op?

rottersclub

May 1st, 2006, 06:39 PM

rottersclub

May 1st, 2006, 06:42 PM

A £400 MILLION expansion of Warwick University ,does anybody know what type of developments are proposed there?
Good news if it goes ahead as it would obviously generate employment (academic/professional) of the calibre this city/sub region needs

Campus will double in size.
New squares & academic buildings, plus commercial stuff.
Green field development, towards Kenilworth.

sleslie48

May 5th, 2006, 03:02 PM

rottersclub

May 5th, 2006, 08:53 PM

Does anyone know whats happening with the area around the market? Im assuming the markets staying the same? A crane has appeared today doing something with the clock tower. I saw on here a while back someone said a residential block is going in the demolished site? It's a shame they dont open that area up and make some outdoor market space. It would be a good link into the city from the new Ikea and a good public space, might draw some home furnishing people into the city. Also did someone say Iceland were moving over the road? Where over the road?! Conservatives won I see

Alas, Tories won -- there goes the Swanswell initiative.

They are building a 14 storey apartment block with a retail unit underneath. When it is finished, Iceland is moving in, and they are building a second 14 storey block on the site where Iceland is.

An outdoor market is pointless in Coventry (And they're an eyesore). They can't even fill the rubbish indoor market.

I think two large apartment blocks will be filled with ready-made Ikea customers!

inspired

May 8th, 2006, 09:21 AM

Alas, Tories won -- there goes the Swanswell initiative.

is there a date set for the when the final plans will be passed.

Hope the tories take up this great chance to improve the growth and reputation of the city centre.

I saw in the local news that David Cameron popped in to town after the elections, hope his new brand of forward thinking tories rub off on the council!

sleslie48

May 9th, 2006, 06:18 PM

Alas, Tories won -- there goes the Swanswell initiative.

They are building a 14 storey apartment block with a retail unit underneath. When it is finished, Iceland is moving in, and they are building a second 14 storey block on the site where Iceland is.

An outdoor market is pointless in Coventry (And they're an eyesore). They can't even fill the rubbish indoor market.

I think two large apartment blocks will be filled with ready-made Ikea customers!

Cheers Martin, sounds good, although that areas becoming quite residential, not neccessarily a bad thing i guess.

I disagree that a market would be pointless, the one at the moment does pretty well i rekon and with more local residents will do better. The farmers market comes in every so often too so must get enough trade. I just don't think it utilises the space it takes up at the moment. When you look at where it is, it could be a good through way from the centre (not the scummy back of the market). The only way to that area at the moment is through the lower precinct, a bit of variety would be nice! And seeing as Ikea are going there, seemed like a handy place to attract people.

Not all markets are, or have to be eye sores, and a few people furnishing their new apartments is great, but the rich commuting ikea customers need to be drawn into the city. Are there any designs for those apartments? Oh and the clocks gone!! Didnt tell the right time anyway!

rottersclub

May 9th, 2006, 08:02 PM

Cheers Martin, sounds good, although that areas becoming quite residential, not neccessarily a bad thing i guess.

Not all markets are, or have to be eye sores, and a few people furnishing their new apartments is great, but the rich commuting ikea customers need to be drawn into the city. Are there any designs for those apartments? Oh and the clocks gone!! Didnt tell the right time anyway!

Another market won't attract anyone into Coventry - the only thing (retail wise) that will do that is better shops. Currently, it's terrible - an uninspiring collection of downmarket department stores and ever increasing number of empty units and cheapo 99p stores.

We tend to go to Leamington or Leicester - both much better selection and far pleasanter than that bloody awful precinct & its mismatch of hodgepodge developments.

rottersclub

May 9th, 2006, 08:05 PM

is there a date set for the when the final plans will be passed.

Hope the tories take up this great chance to improve the growth and reputation of the city centre.

I saw in the local news that David Cameron popped in to town after the elections, hope his new brand of forward thinking tories rub off on the council!

Cameron's forward thinking? How do you know that? He has no policies!

I doubt it will change them - they're all a bunch of middle farts doing it because no one else will and they have the time.

Not sure what's happening with Swanswell, but I suspect that the scheme's success hinges on the land that the removal of ringroad frees up. This land can be sold off and used to fund the rest of the project. I read that by retaining the flyover, this land is not useful and will reduce the viability of the project.

sleslie48

May 11th, 2006, 11:01 AM

Another market won't attract anyone into Coventry - the only thing (retail wise) that will do that is better shops. Currently, it's terrible - an uninspiring collection of downmarket department stores and ever increasing number of empty units and cheapo 99p stores.

We tend to go to Leamington or Leicester - both much better selection and far pleasanter than that bloody awful precinct & its mismatch of hodgepodge developments.

Theres nothing special or anything that you wont find in any other town. I think theres potential, but there just isn't the money or the right target consumers. You'd think they would learn from precinct mistakes but no, they went and built a very badly layed out ugly west orchards and stupid cathedral lanes that no one goes in other than for wilkinsons, and theres plenty of other places that could go, and whats with the dam tent! Don't worry the tories will sort it all out!!! They best go forwards with loosing that bit of the ring road.

skybluecity

May 11th, 2006, 01:47 PM

Cheers Martin, sounds good, although that areas becoming quite residential, not neccessarily a bad thing i guess.

I disagree that a market would be pointless, the one at the moment does pretty well i rekon and with more local residents will do better. The farmers market comes in every so often too so must get enough trade. I just don't think it utilises the space it takes up at the moment. When you look at where it is, it could be a good through way from the centre (not the scummy back of the market). The only way to that area at the moment is through the lower precinct, a bit of variety would be nice! And seeing as Ikea are going there, seemed like a handy place to attract people.

Not all markets are, or have to be eye sores, and a few people furnishing their new apartments is great, but the rich commuting ikea customers need to be drawn into the city. Are there any designs for those apartments? Oh and the clocks gone!! Didnt tell the right time anyway!

i'm sure when i saw the plans for the new residential block next to iceland that the clock was still in place; and was actually a key feature of the development. perhaps they're to build a new clock tower there?

rottersclub

May 11th, 2006, 08:11 PM

Theres nothing special or anything that you wont find in any other town. I think theres potential, but there just isn't the money or the right target consumers. You'd think they would learn from precinct mistakes but no, they went and built a very badly layed out ugly west orchards and stupid cathedral lanes that no one goes in other than for wilkinsons, and theres plenty of other places that could go, and whats with the dam tent! Don't worry the tories will sort it all out!!! They best go forwards with loosing that bit of the ring road.

There is the money. Some of the the southern suburbs and Warwickshire are amongst the wealthiest in the Midlands. The problem is that people who live in these areas tend to go to Leamington for shopping & leisure. I know we do. In the newspaper for Earlsdon (ECHO) Pete Walters for CV recently had a letter published urging people in the area to use the city centre - not just for shopping, but for nights out & eating. Coventry's city centre has, for so long, alienated anyone over 25 who wants to buy/see anything out of the ordinary or of quality. The poor design of the precinct after the war didn't help. Believe it or not, Coventry Council actually decided not encourage small, specialist traders into the city centre as Coventry folk traditionally went to Leamington for that. The increasingly poor image of the city centre didn't help, nor did the poor access for cars and pedestrians.

The Tories are backward. Period. They want to keep the ringroad, and they have already ruined plans by keeping Pool Meadow - the most useless bus station on the planet - open.

It's a bit of round robin situation. Until the people with spending power start using the city centre (Doubtful.) then the more upmarket chains won't be interested. They'll go to Leamington and Solihull.

West Orchards/Cathedral Lanes were built when I was a student here and unemployment in the city was 15% - very, very bad times indeed, and you could just tell by walking around how down-at-hell everyone was. I think they were desperate to get _something_ built, and got two fairly poor developments.

In Southampton & Brum they just slapped huge shopping malls down. I believe there exists potential for similar plans in Cov, using the old car parks behind the precinct and the rubbish buildings on Corporation Street.

That idea, leaves me cold. I like streets with variety and frontages, alleyways and squares. Big malls leaves me cold. You could be anywhere. I think that's what'll happen though. I'd prefer to see the concept of the "precinct" removed and replaced with a more traditional plan that makes the existing medieval buildings "part" of the town rather than curios that have been left behind. Similar to Manchester, around St Anne's square and the new stuff around the corn exchange. You actually feel as if you're somewhere.

Dr Pepper

May 12th, 2006, 12:47 AM

sleslie48

May 12th, 2006, 01:24 AM

I agree.

The fact that people go to leamington isn't surprising, its probably easier than getting into the city centre!

They need to sort out the ghost town effect at night. They just need some good eating and drinking places. Theres some good places (browns, dogma, prague, tin angel erm, head scratching, but they're spread out, and too sparse. I walk through the precinct every day and think what a waist the upper level in the upper precinct is. Another one of my crazy ideas is that they should fill that level with bars and restraunts. It's central, its in between the high street area and the sky dome. Some independant places would be perfect, there's already the yates etc chains (ahhh), they can soak up all the chavs!

With the traditional manufacturing industries on the decline in the area coventry needs to re-invent itself but also build upson what it already has (complete re-invention doesnt seem to be too successfull in cov). Of course I don't see that happening cos know one who has the power has the brains or awareness to do something. I always think it would be a great cultural city (although they seem to be getting quite common now). Theres good history here and it just gets neglected, (e.g. the monastry bit by the uni library). And too many wasted spaces! They annoy me!

I couldn't think of anything worse than a huge mall, it would destroy the city, and yeah theyre all the same! Very boring, no life, although i have to say the bull ring works well. I half agree about getting rid of the precint but also think it does work well at times. The trouble is, its a shopping centre! They may as well close it at night! If they mixed everything up a bit, thats when you get life into a place. The precinct is now a big part of coventry's history and would be a shame to get rid of completely.

I read some extracts from a book by alain de botton called the architecture of happiness. I havent bought it yet but what i've read is great and I rekon most people looking at this forum would find it interesting.

The clock is very definately gone, prob put a new one up. Hope it doesn't look the same!

sleslie48

May 12th, 2006, 01:47 AM

The Precinct seems to receive quite a knocking here but I for one rather like it. It may not be perfect but it was built around its location in the city rather than for profit maximisation. If you stand at the top of the ramp for the lower precinct you can see a direct view in line with the Cathedral spire. Its the escalators, ramp, Godiva tent and Cathedral Lanes that spoil it.

The idea of knocking down Cathedral Lanes would appeal to almost everyone in Cov. The only trouble is what do you replace it with? I assume the building and land are privately owned and its owners would want top money to sell a prime location site. Another shopping centre would cause similar problems to what we have now. Leaving it as an open space/garden would be nice but where will the money come from to pay for it? It can't pay for itself as it will not generate any revenue.

My personal choice would be to build a new central library on the site, something made of sandstone, wood and glass like Browns Cafe. It could even incorporate the old court building. A building of high quality design and materials would certainly be worthy of the site and the central library stood there before the war. Wilkinson could move to where the library is now.

On the subject of Broadgate how about knocking through Nationwide and connecting to Hertford St with a proper entrance? It was how they designed it to be. The current passages are so dingy.

I was agreeing with martin before but agree with you too. I am obsessed with symmetry and the precinct has been designed well in that respect. The central precinct is fine, its smithford way I'm not sure about. Give me a sledge hammer and I'll get to work on the cathedral lanes and the stupid escalators (why didnt they just put the west orchards entrance on the ground level??) straight away! It's soo bad! At least get rid of the tent! In an ideal world id put a shopping centre there, sunk into the ground a bit, curving up from either side of broadgate then cover it over with grass, sloping down to the cathedral/holy trinity/golden cross area and then you've got both retail and park, perfect! (dont think ive described that very well). The library would be better there and your description of a building sounds good, browns is great - its interesting and it fits in with local historic architecture. Why does no one else do it! What do u mean by the court building by the way?

Definately get rid of nationwide, i learnt just the other day that that used to be open, would be so much better There's enough retail space in coventry, why did they have to put more there? And I'd get rid of the hertford street roof (but don't get me started on hertford street!)

Dr Pepper

May 13th, 2006, 01:09 PM

rottersclub

May 13th, 2006, 01:18 PM

The Precinct seems to receive quite a knocking here but I for one rather like it. It may not be perfect but it was built around its location in the city rather than for profit maximisation. If you stand at the top of the ramp for the lower precinct you can see a direct view in line with the Cathedral spire. Its the escalators, ramp, Godiva tent and Cathedral Lanes that spoil it.

The idea of knocking down Cathedral Lanes would appeal to almost everyone in Cov. The only trouble is what do you replace it with? I assume the building and land are privately owned and its owners would want top money to sell a prime location site. Another shopping centre would cause similar problems to what we have now. Leaving it as an open space/garden would be nice but where will the money come from to pay for it? It can't pay for itself as it will not generate any revenue.

My personal choice would be to build a new central library on the site, something made of sandstone, wood and glass like Browns Cafe. It could even incorporate the old court building. A building of high quality design and materials would certainly be worthy of the site and the central library stood there before the war. Wilkinson could move to where the library is now.

On the subject of Broadgate how about knocking through Nationwide and connecting to Hertford St with a proper entrance? It was how they designed it to be. The current passages are so dingy.

The precinct actually follows the old streets that were there... Smithford way and Market way. Originally, it had a road running through it, but they removed that.

While I don't mind the "main" upper precinct, its architecture is generally horrible, and that view of the Cathedral is pretty unimpressive- the nice spire flanked by two bland blocks. Nice concept, but shame about the execution. The double level thing didn't work.

The other bits of the precinct are just horrible - Sheldon Square, the Bullyard, City Arcade, the bit where MVC used to be, the Bit where Allied carpets are.

The land where Cathedral Lanes stands was always meant to be built on - I've seen plans from the 1950s showing a fairly ugly development there.

The old court is being turned into restaurant, I think - and yesterday I actually went out in Coventry for the first time for years... Drank too much in Browns and the brilliant Whitefriars... Real ale. Mmmmm. I noticed some new things had opened up:

A cafe/bar where "Dillons"/"Waterstones"/VIP Clothing used to be.
Gringos is turning into what looks like an upmarket restaurant.

I notice they've started digs for the Herbert Art gallery and new Coventry Computer Labs - another car park gone, and another area built up.

Apparently, they found some Saxon artefacts in the digs. The last dig unearthed a Roman shoe - interesting, as there's no apparent Roman links with Coventry apart from Lunt Roman fort on the outskirts. Roman artefacts have been found. Saxon stuff is interesting, as Coventry was definitely a settlement during the Saxon period (And is mentioned in the anglo saxon chronicle.) The number of castles in the surrounding villages may have been defenses along the Danelaw, and North Coventry's suburbs tend to have Danish derived name (Stoke and Biggin, for example.)

Waffle waffle waffle.

rottersclub

May 13th, 2006, 01:20 PM

The court building I mentioned is the building at the back of Wilkinsons next to The Golden Cross. It was used as the a court and part of the building was the home of the master of the jail that stood on the site. I thought it might be a rather good place for a new library to house some of Coventry's historical records.

Yup, lovely 17th century stone building - used to be Coventry County Court house when Coventry was a county. Apparently, it's still got all the cells and courtrooms inside.

The records archive is going to be houses in a purpose built building as part of the Herbert extension, I think. I think they need specialist storage for that stuff, so an old building may not be suitable.

rottersclub

May 13th, 2006, 01:26 PM

Definately get rid of nationwide, i learnt just the other day that that used to be open, would be so much better There's enough retail space in coventry, why did they have to put more there? And I'd get rid of the hertford street roof (but don't get me started on hertford street!)

On the contrary, there's not enough retail floor space in Coventry - the actual floorspace is almost half that of Leicester's and they are both comparable cities in terms of size. Part of the Coventry Development plan is to bring that figure back up.

Hertford Street is an absolute mess. It would have been better left as a road as it originally was. I find it so depressing I don't even bother going down there anymore.

rottersclub

May 13th, 2006, 01:29 PM

sleslie48

May 13th, 2006, 08:08 PM

The dig around the herberts quite intresting, noticed it from the top of priory the other day and when i went down the gates were open so had a good look. I read in the herbert that they plan to incorportate some of the exavated remains into the new extention. Never sure how up to date the boards are in there tho.

I was given a free sandwhich from that salon bar place the other day, not half bad! The old gringos is going to be a restraunt/lounge and lebonese food I think. Apparently its being done by the people that own express diner.

Fair enough didn't realise that figure but still I think theres better things they could do to bring that figure up rather than put that nationwide there. Knock down that car park behind the precinct's side opposing west orchards and build some good retail space in there or something. The peeping Tom statue sums up hertford street so well for me! Liking Inspire but hard to get a seat sometimes. That old court building should make a good bar. Oh and really cheap little coventry books in ottakars, some cool old photos.

inspired

May 13th, 2006, 11:50 PM

wasnt the old central library located in a building were cathedral lanes is now?

i could be mistaken though but i remember when i was younger that the old library used to be in an old building back then :o

skybluecity

May 14th, 2006, 02:14 PM

excellent discussion chaps. some interesting ideas.

agree with everything that has been said about the precinct. the upper precinct area is ok, and i think we're going to have to live with the fact that it is here to stay. clearly that escalator has to be removed as a priority. the rest, particularly smithword way, is a mess.

would also dearly love to see the back of cathedral lanes. may be they could open some of it up and turn it into a public square with a water feature of some kind, and behind it have a semi-circle of small independent retail outlets with a few cafe bars. agree that financing such a thing would be a problem.

in terms of retail space, there does need to be a focus on that. will be interesting to see what happens with the belgrade plaza - one would hope it would attract some of the more up-market chains (still can't believe primark are to take over the old allders building).

we also need more smaller, independent retailers. the city is seriously lacking in them. ikea should make a difference, simply by the number of visitors it will attract, many of whom would otherwise not venture into the city centre. obviously many will not venture outside the ikea store itself, but there should be some overspill which can only be a good thing.

coventry's main problem is that there are too many out of town retail parks. central six being the worst - an out of town shopping park that is in the middle of town. don't get it. surely the city would benefit more if the likes of GAP had a city centre outlet?

having said all that, there are some benefits of shopping in coventry. most of the big retail chains have a store in coventry now, and the city centre is very accessible and parking is not really a problem. it is also very compact and therefore easy to get around. i know a few people from birmingham who shop in coventry for those very reasons.

as for the tories and the swanswell project, well i haven't heard for definite that they are to retain the elevated section of the ring-road. although the delay is a worry. at least the old labour administration had the courage of their convictions and refused to bow to the vocal minority who bombard the letters page of the CET with their backward thinking.

inspired

May 14th, 2006, 03:12 PM

rottersclub

May 15th, 2006, 08:29 PM

i remember that at the back of cathedral lanes there used to be a cafe/resturant which opened on top the patio that there is at the back. It closed because it wasnt that busy. I think it opened ahead of its time for coventry, where things like that were not fashionable or popular.

It was a very bad time then - I was a student at the Poly when that opened, and unemployment in Coventry was 15%. My parents used to visit, and we went to that place once, and it was very expensive for what you got (My parents were very well off and even they thought it expensive.) It was doomed to fail then. Now? Probably be a great success.

Cathedral Lanes did have some interesting shops in it - small, indie stuff, but they all struggled. The location and footfall are perhaps wrong.

Now it's stuck as Wilkinsons. Prime piece of land, slap bang next to the Cathedral area. What a waste. I think "develop at haste" and you end up with stuff like this. From what I remember at the time, they were _desperate_ to get any sort of development in Coventry at the time.

Dr Pepper

May 21st, 2006, 03:03 AM

sleslie48

May 21st, 2006, 12:50 PM

rottersclub

May 21st, 2006, 03:31 PM

The thing about Cathedral Lanes is that it's actually located in what is designated as the cultural quarter. Hasty development indeed. The same could be said of the Skydome with its boxy design and metal cladding. Hindsight is a wonderful thing. Speaking of the Skydome, when it was first announced the promotional guff said it would contain a bowling alley. Still waiting for that one.
Anyone hazzard a guess as to what a CPO of Cathedral Lanes would cost?

I thought the original "cultural quarter" as desginated after the war was the lower preinct/Corporation Street - which is why the Belgrade theatre was put down there. Shame they didn't put ANYTHING else down there!:-)

They removed the bowling alley and built the Arena instead, and I believe it was the council who insisted that an Arena be built - it's a terribly cheap venue, but seems to be popular for typically down market Coventry folk to watch their cage fighting.

It was supposed to be an ice-rink/music venue.

rottersclub

May 21st, 2006, 03:34 PM

Found out about the rudge factory that used to be on the site of the Skydome. What happened to that! It was a listed building, how was it allowed to be knocked down? Im sure they probably could've restored it and put similar things in it to the Skydome now, but was probably cheaper to knock down and put up the Skydome. Was there much of a fuss when it was knocked down? What was the site like?

I don't think it was listed - if it was, it may have just been locally listed. I know someone who used to work there when it was GEC, and the building was a fire hazard. It was a steel framed building with wooden floors, but the floors had soaked up so much oil, the place was dangerous.

Here's a picture of some Coventry Silk Weavers' houses.

http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/upload/pdf/j_m_prest.pdf

I notice this weekend that the Co-Op has almost gone, as has the old Fish market/Billiard hall, apart from the little clock tower.

Dr Pepper

May 21st, 2006, 04:43 PM

There are some pictures of the GEC building knockdown and Skydome build here:

http://www.larry-arnold.info/photography/Coventry/site.htm

The appeal of cage fighting is lost on me but the ice rink is home to Coventry Blaze ice hockey team who have won numerous league and cup competitions.

sleslie48

May 21st, 2006, 07:04 PM

rottersclub

May 22nd, 2006, 01:55 AM

Thanks guys, those pictures of gec are good, havent been able to open the Silk Weavers houses yet. Shame they couldn't have done a kind of Tate Modern or Custard Factory style rennovation. Building new floors would have been alot of effort tho. The skydome seems to take up alot of space but doesnt seem like theres that much there. Huge car park I guess. Cant remember where I read that it was listed, seen it a few places, because it was one of the first steel framed industrial buildings.

Got a book "Around Coventry" with lots of old pics. Looks like such an amazing place. I can't believe how many places were knocked down around the 60's and 80's/90's. You'd think theyd want to hold onto as much as possible but i guess it was all standing in the way of lovely new developments.

Yeah the co ops getting there, bout half done I'd say. Blocked off a shortcut to my house tho.

After the blitz, there were still over 100 medieval buildings left in Coventry city centre. By the 1960s, this was down to around 30. Some were packed up - including the original timbers & wattle & daub walls and rebuilt on Spon Street...

When they built the ringroad they demolished whole streeets of houses (Mainly Edwardian) and a lot of Victorian Villas on the Cheylesmore side of the city centre. They also demolished whole streets of old cottages around where Coventry University is now & Much Park Street. They also demolished most of the old weaver's terraced in Hillfields - the distinctive Top shops, of which examples can still be seen on Far Gosford Street & dotted around in Stoke. Virtually all of the city centre's industrial buildings were demolished.

Original plans didn't come to fruition due to economic stagnation in the 1970s when the motor industry collapsed.

"Custard Factory"? Cultural stuff? Doomed to failure. Coventry folk aren't interested in culture. They want sport & cage fighting. Those that don't have Warwick Arts Centre, located near to the wealthy areas. The people in Coventry with money to spend don't need the city centre.

sleslie48

May 22nd, 2006, 02:03 AM

skybluecity

May 22nd, 2006, 03:32 PM

After the blitz, there were still over 100 medieval buildings left in Coventry city centre. By the 1960s, this was down to around 30. Some were packed up - including the original timbers & wattle & daub walls and rebuilt on Spon Street...

When they built the ringroad they demolished whole streeets of houses (Mainly Edwardian) and a lot of Victorian Villas on the Cheylesmore side of the city centre. They also demolished whole streets of old cottages around where Coventry University is now & Much Park Street. They also demolished most of the old weaver's terraced in Hillfields - the distinctive Top shops, of which examples can still be seen on Far Gosford Street & dotted around in Stoke. Virtually all of the city centre's industrial buildings were demolished.

Original plans didn't come to fruition due to economic stagnation in the 1970s when the motor industry collapsed.

"Custard Factory"? Cultural stuff? Doomed to failure. Coventry folk aren't interested in culture. They want sport & cage fighting. Those that don't have Warwick Arts Centre, located near to the wealthy areas. The people in Coventry with money to spend don't need the city centre.

that's an incredibly negative view of the people of coventry, and one which I cannot agree with. there is a slight contradiction there, to say coventry people are not interested in culture and then mention the warks art centre. that is an incredibly successful venue, sustained by the people of coventry in the main. there is clearly a market for the events that is stages, so i don't think it would be any less successful if it were in the city centre. if anything its location hinders it as many of the events it stages goes unnoticed by people in coventry who might be interested.

the skydome has failed as a music venue, i agree with that, but its problem is that it is too small. concerts for 4000 people aren't worth the investment that goes in to staging them. we now have the two venues at the ricoh arena - and to have attracted bryan adams, bon jovi and the red hot chillis is the first 12 months is a real coup.

cage fighting has only appeared at the skydome twice in the 6 years of opening, so i'm not sure what you're point is there. the skydome arena is a sports venue first and foremost and is known best as an ice rink and the home of a very successful ice hockey team.

coventry is an industrial city, so understandably has never been a cultural oasis. that said, the expanison of both the belgrade theatre and herbert art gallery are positive signs.

Dr Pepper

May 22nd, 2006, 07:00 PM

Coventry may not be Paris when it comes to culture but it does have no less than 4 theatres, 4 museums, 3 cathedrals (in various forms of completion) and an annual jazz festival. I'm sure there is a lot I have missed out.

Does anyone know what happened to the Alhambra pub that was in New Buildings? It was attached to the ribbon factory behind Sainsburys. It was a very old building, I'm sure I read somewhere that it was supposed to have been made of ships timbers. Was it skipped? Moved? Stored? It seems a shame if its gone.

foolsgold

May 23rd, 2006, 08:31 PM

More Belgrade Plaza news. Also there are photos of construction on www.belgradeplaza.co.uk. Nothing much to see there yet though - I think it's still just the work on Leigh Mills car park.

Two more sign for Coventry's Belgrade Plaza
Lisa Pilkington18/05/2006 09:30

Developer Oakmoor Deeley has signed up two new tenants for its £100m Belgrade Plaza mixed-use scheme in Coventry city centre.

Premier Travel Inn is to open a 109 bedroom hotel, plus bar and restaurant at the scheme while Bingo firm Gala will house a new 32,000 sq ft casino operation at the development.

Belgrade Plaza will also incorporate a further hotel, as well as five bars and restaurants, 300 flats and car parking spaces in an extended Leigh Mills Car Park on the 3.5-acre site.

Peter Deeley, director of Oakmoor Deeley, said: "We're looking to create a new leisure and entertainment quarter around the Belgrade and Bond Street areas of the city and have strong interest in some of the leisure units.
"We've been talking seriously to several hotel chains and hope to have [further] news on a luxury hotelier in the near future."

Work has already started on the development which is scheduled for completion in the spring of 2008.

Letting agents are Shortland Horne and Wright Silverwood.

rottersclub

May 24th, 2006, 12:24 AM

that's an incredibly negative view of the people of coventry, and one which I cannot agree with. there is a slight contradiction there, to say coventry people are not interested in culture and then mention the warks art centre. that is an incredibly successful venue, sustained by the people of coventry in the main. there is clearly a market for the events that is stages, so i don't think it would be any less successful if it were in the city centre. if anything its location hinders it as many of the events it stages goes unnoticed by people in coventry who might be interested.

the skydome has failed as a music venue, i agree with that, but its problem is that it is too small. concerts for 4000 people aren't worth the investment that goes in to staging them. we now have the two venues at the ricoh arena - and to have attracted bryan adams, bon jovi and the red hot chillis is the first 12 months is a real coup.

cage fighting has only appeared at the skydome twice in the 6 years of opening, so i'm not sure what you're point is there. the skydome arena is a sports venue first and foremost and is known best as an ice rink and the home of a very successful ice hockey team.

coventry is an industrial city, so understandably has never been a cultural oasis. that said, the expanison of both the belgrade theatre and herbert art gallery are positive signs.

They're positive if something comes from them. If the Belgrade becomes (Once more) a well known source of new works, then it's great. That's what good theatres do, they produce shows and bring out new writers for the public. The Herbert Art gallery may succeed if they actually put some art in it and publicise it. In 8 years I've never seen a single advert for it. I used to walk past it 3 or 4 times a month, and never once saw a billboard outside saying "EXHIBITION OF x ON TODAY".

Ultimately, the Herbert, Warwick Arts centre & the Belgrade are being funded by charity. Warwick Arts centre caters for some very unusual acts alongside mainstream stuff, and everytime I've been there it's been either half empty, or very empty - I've seen acts in the main hall - 1800 people capacity - playing to less than 100. The comedians and bands are prob. popular with the student crowd, as are some of the more mainstream acts. It's an excellent venue, and I've seen some great stuff there, but if it wasn't subsidised, it would collapse. If it were in the city centre, it would go the same way as those ill advised lottery schemes. It manages because it's on University Campus. The queue out after a show is usually down to the A46, not into Coventry. Sorry, but I don't think Coventry's keeping the place going. I suspect its a combination of students & the unusual acts they put on attracting people from a wide area.

The council are taking out loans to extend the Herbert from a charity; the Belgrade are relying on grants to prop up their expansion, as well as donations from industry. They're pleading every day in the local paper for more to come forward. What's going to be in the Hebert? Does Coventry _have_ an art collection?

It's a view that I have from being a student here for 4 years, and having lived here for 8 years, I'm afraid. In between that, I lived in Sheffield, and the difference is remarkable.

I suggest you read "Life in a 20th century city: the story of Coventry." published by Warwick University. This contains some very telling facts about Coventry and its demographics - and let's be blunt, after the war the council effectively vetoed provision for "small independent retailers" because people in Coventry didn't want quality, and those few that did, could go to Leamington or Birmingham. Ho hum.

The fact is that the majority of promoters, shop chains, etc, aren't interested in Coventry city centre because they know the business isn't there. The Litten tree chain shut down - was bought out by another chain, but the Coventry one wasn't. MVC - most of it sold off to Music Zone. Not interested in the Coventry one. That's turned into a baffling shop without stock. It's so desperate the council have to offer to pay rents for a year to get people to open stuff up.

How do I take the letter written by the bloke from CV ONE to the local Earlsdon newspaper pleading with folk from Earlsdon to use the city centre, because without them, they can't attract decent stuff to the centre... Bearing in mind that Earlsdon is a fairly small area of the whole of Coventry. Is it really that _bad_ that the =city centre is reliants on one small suburb to make the statistics look good? Earlsdon may be a bit more "up market", but it's not _that_ upmarket, and the expensive bit of it constitutes a fairly compact grid of streets. The rest of it is fairly typical inner city in character.

What worries me more is that Coventry was actually a lot livelier when I was a student in the late 80s and early 90s. It may "look" a bit better now, but looks can be deceptive.

I may sound cynical now, but a few years back I was rather more enthusiastic - the up and coming Phoenix Initiative looked great, and the lower precinct promised some decent retailers - a live music venue at Skydome, and some much needed nightlife. What did we get? Butlins quality clubs, 2nd rate chain bars, a development that's been vandalised by the locals AND the council, and the same problem with ANYTHING they do in Coventry - isolated, little developments that promise much and turn into deserted wastelands. Priory place... It's ALWAYS deserted, and after 2 years one unit is still empty. This is a location that's next to a world-famous cathedral, and a development that probably gave the city more publicity than its had for years (Nominated for one of the biggest architectural prize in the UK). If they can't fill that, then what hope is there? And they _were_ aiming for upmarket chains, and it seems they simply can't attract them (Prague, the restaurant, went bankrupt within a year of its opening.)

The lower precinct? Filled with downmarket stores & fast food chains & a constantly smashed glass roof AND it still looks unifinished around the edges. Some of the units have been empty for 2 years. Live music venues? Pah. One pub doing singer/songwriter nights & another doing tribute bands. Decent restaurants? Nope, they're all in the suburbs or Kenilworth.

To make a successful city you have to get people to live there, work there, and play there. Coventry may have been good at getting people to work here, but they don't live here and play here.

The thing is - I actually like Coventry, its mix of ancient and 20th century, and its history, but realise that there's something seriously wrong with the place. Why is that similar sized EX-INDUSTRIAL cities like Nottingham, Newcastle, Leicester offer so much more? And smaller places, like Wolverhampton, Northampton, Cheltenham (I've been down there four times this year to see shows.), Southampton, Brighton, Reading, and even Preston have better cultural venues & events. You look at comedians, touring plays, music listings, and you RARELY see Coventry listed.

Two Universities and a very very low rate of retention of graduates as well - compared with cities like Sheffield. When I was a student at Cov Poly, believe me, people couldn't wait to leave. In fact, we used to joke that the Poly did sandwich courses because you needed a year away from Coventry after the first two years. Those do that do stay drift outward to Leicestershire, Warwickshire - easy commutes to the out of town business parks, eh?

In today's Coventry telegraph there was a letter from someone who had just moved out of Coventry into Warwickshire. Same reasons we've heard over and over again. Oppressive, brutal city centre, lack of quality retailers, lack of decent restaurants, and nothing cultural. Grim suburbs covered in litter, and redevelopments that promise much but end up offering little. He also comments of a virtual lack of transport infrastructure.

Perhaps the most telling thing is the number of visitors to the cathedral is plummeting rapidly, thanks to the stupid council's "priory square". That's all the tourists come for. The expected droves of tourist going from the Cathedral down to Priory place to sample all those lovely bars and visit the motor museum doesn't seem to have happened.

rottersclub

May 24th, 2006, 12:55 AM

foolsgold

May 24th, 2006, 01:27 AM

Only about 50 years late!

Should I get my hopes up, or is this going to be much of the same. (See miserable posting above!)

Don't know Martin - I find myself having the same attitude as you sometimes but I don't think there's cause to be quite so gloomy. The typical saying about most cities is that "25 years ago if you said you lived in the city centre people would have thought you were mad". Well in Coventry people probably think that *now*, or at least they did 5 years ago. We already know that the number of flats just built or about to be built is going to change that. There will be more people living in the city centre, and this will have all the benefits that it's had for other cities. It's a shame we have to be 20 or so years behind, but we are where we are.

As for the precinct/retail, I have to say I think the only solution is for the bulldozers to come in and demolish large swathes of it and for someone to build something else. I think CV One pretty much say the same - there needs to be a major new development. Until the demand is there to encourage people to invest in making this happen I doubt the shopping's going to be up to much, because the buildings and spaces are mostly so dire. What gets me is that Coventry isn't a poor city, the money is here. This is all a result of poor planning and bad policies.

By the way did anyone see the survey of crime rates in different cities that was in all the papers today - Coventry and Birmingham both very low crime compared to the vast majority of cities.

foolsgold

May 24th, 2006, 02:01 PM

skybluecity

May 24th, 2006, 03:30 PM

a few points is response to martin's latest post. much of what you say is true, particularly the point about developments promising much but delivering little. priory place is a failure; it just hasn't worked. whether that says more about the development or the people in coventry i'm not sure.

however, i don't believe the situation is nearly as gloomy as you say. in terms of all the big chains that give coventry a miss, who are they? house of fraser in the old allders building would have been nice, but other than that i can't really think of any large retail chains that don't have a presence in coventry.

as for the belgrade plaza, well i think it is the real deal. the development is right (ie mixed use) and the location is right. i'm sure it will be a success.

back to the warwick arts centre, i think it is used by coventry folk more than you realise. i've been there a few times to see top stand-up comedians, and remember the warm up act to lee evans asking the audience, "who comes from....". there were a few muffled cries when the likes of warwick and leamington were mentioned, and an almighty roar when it came to coventry. not particularly scientific, but nevertheless it suggests that coventry people do use it in numbers when the big names appear there.

you have focused on a lot of negatives, but let's look at some positives:

new developments such as the belgrade plaza, which not only look good, but also look like they may deliver.

ikea, a real coup for the city.

the expansion of the belgrade theatre and herbert art galleries.

the ricoh arena - i know you don't like the building itself, but it has raised the profile of the city, and thosands of outsiders will flock there in the summer for the big concerts. the exhibitions and conference facilities were much needed and appear to have been a big success.

the new hospital at walsgrave will provide much better health facilities for the city.

unemployment is VERY low in coventry when compared to similar cities.

crime is relatively low too as refered to above.

the annual godiva festival gets better every year and attracts many people from outside the city.

the international children's games were a success and showed the city off in a very positive light.

the anual jazz festival continues to grow.

the new apartments blocks in the city centre have made it a much more attractive place, both to look at and indeed as a place to live.

the new rugby stadium (when finished) will be another excellent addition to the city.

there are decent restaurants in the city, may be not the city centre itself, but within the city boundaries you have some fine places to eat now (the gallery for example).

much has been done, and continues to be done to improve coventry's sink estates.

the expansion of coventry airport has again raised the city's profile and will continue to do so.

coventry continues to do well in scholl league tables when compared to other cities.

despite what you say above, the transport network in coventry, particularly the road network are good. apart from the odd bottleneck, getting around the city is a lot easier than it is in other places.

from a sporting point of view, the city has a broad range of facilities that other cities lack. we have a motor speedway stadium (widely regarded as just about the best there is in the UK), we now have a dog track, we have an ice rink and a 3000 arena that has brought some notable events to the city (basketball playoffs, masters football for example), we have a brand new 32,000 seater stadium which also has an adjoining 7000 capacity venue for both sporting, conference and concert use, we have a new rugby stadium - the final plans for which appear very impressive, we have the excellent new sports facility facility on allard way, and still have one of the few olympic size swimming pools in britain (although i hope plans to rebuild the sports centre come off). we also have two universities, and warwick in particular has an excellent range of facilites. comapre what we have to places like leicester, hull and wolverhampton and we're much better off. even places like liverpool and leeds don't have a large indoor venue.

much more needs to be done i agree, but i believe the city is moving in the right direction, so try to be positive!

rottersclub

May 24th, 2006, 07:12 PM

from a sporting point of view, the city has a broad range of facilities that other cities lack. we have a motor speedway stadium (widely regarded as just about the best there is in the UK), we now have a dog track, we have an ice rink and a 3000 arena that has brought some notable events to the city (basketball playoffs, masters football for example), we have a brand new 32,000 seater stadium which also has an adjoining 7000 capacity venue for both sporting, conference and concert use, we have a new rugby stadium - the final plans for which appear very impressive, we have the excellent new sports facility facility on allard way, and still have one of the few olympic size swimming pools in britain (although i hope plans to rebuild the sports centre come off). we also have two universities, and warwick in particular has an excellent range of facilites. comapre what we have to places like leicester, hull and wolverhampton and we're much better off. even places like liverpool and leeds don't have a large indoor venue.

much more needs to be done i agree, but i believe the city is moving in the right direction, so try to be positive!

Part of my point was that Coventry people are only interested in sport, and you've sort of backed it up. Yup, lots of sporting stuff. But plop all else.

I was referring more to the city centre... which is dead as far as I can see. Will the last person out close the precinct?

Warwick Arts Centre - incidentally - means Coventry city centre will NEVER have a venue for live entertainment. There just isn't room for two, and the original proposal for Bond street was an entertainment/arts centre - canned due to the perceived lack of need.

rottersclub

May 24th, 2006, 07:26 PM

Exclusive: The amazing plan to expand Coventry

May 24 2006
by Fiona Scott

A REMARKABLE expansion plan has been unveiled for Coventry.

Council leaders are looking at increasing the size of the city by a third, boosting the population by 100,000.

The council says it would lead to a boom in the economy, with more jobs, better shops and a thriving city centre.

* Is this a good idea? Should Coventry be expanded? Get in touch by email, messageboard or by sending a web letter to the editor *

But the controversial side of the plan would involve tens of thousands of new homes being built on green fields around the city.

One of the prime sites would be the Coundon Wedge, green belt land near the Allesley Jaguar plant which is shortly due to close.

Council leaders say that Coventry has a choice - either expand or be forever overshadowed by other booming British cities.

They need to do this for the simple reason that the housing stock is rubbish in Coventry. Too many small streets of factory workers houses; too few nice areas. They can't attract business/government departments into the city with rubbish housing stock.

I can see severe opposition to this, but if it brings a slice of the South East's prosperity to the city (And dampens the MK effect) then it has to be done.

Dr Pepper

May 25th, 2006, 01:32 AM

rottersclub

May 25th, 2006, 08:13 PM

I read about the plan to expand Coventry by 100,000 people in todays Evening Telegraph. Surely the council should improve what we already have and push for more schemes such as the Phoenix and Swanswell Intitiatives, Park Court, the Belgrade Plaza, Paragon Park, Ikea and others. There is still plenty of places that can be developed in the city centre and beyond. The greenbelt land that would be lost is one of Coventry's best selling points, to have this replaced with row upon row of soulless Barratt homes would be aweful.

The ET article compared an expanded Coventry with Bristol and the fact that government departments were relocating there and that it had a Harvey Nichols store. It completly missed the fact that Bristol is already the largest city in the region where as even if Coventry were to increase to 400,000 people it would still be less than half the size of Birmingham. Coventry will always be overshadowed by Birmingham when it comes to investment.

Yes. I sort of agree, but Coventry's problem is its lousy housing stock. Not everyone wants to live in an apartment. British people are very attached to their semis/detached and gardens. Companies relocating out of a sprawl like London will want decent housing for their managers, etc. They won't go somewhere where everyone commutes from miles around (Which is what I've experienced in 3 companies based in Coventry.)

Brum will get more money due its size from the government. The article highlights the large numbers of high tech (And well paid) jobs in Bristol, as well as the government relocation & its success in making large banks relocate. This is why they are building a HN. If it were near Brum, then it would not make a difference. If there's a city of 400,000 people with high spending power, then these names will move in. Solihull doesn't seem to be adversely affected by its proximity to Brum, nor does Wolverhampton. Coventry has used this excuse for years to justify is rubbishness.

Coventry's big problem is that it has a lower than average number of high wage earners and people on the higher social scales. The population is heavily weighted to the lower social scales, and has been since the war. Personally, I think the council have realised this, and know that the only way to reverse this is to physically import people to even it out a bit - and that includes getting some of the 35000 students a year staying.

As Keith Dowling from Warwick Uni commented in the paper: the people in Coventry who DO have spending power DON'T spend in the city centre as there's nothing there for them.

They can build all these developments - but is it going to encourage people from the wealther suburbs AND the wealthy parts of Warwickshire (Which are, in some cases, closer than some of the suburbs of city.) to use the city centre? I don't think so. What will? Will adding 100,000 people artifically improve it? Or will they all just do what everyone else does and go elsewhere? Or will 100,000 extra folk with wallets make businesses sit up and notice and help them survive.

I think the city's stuck in its own catch 22 - people don't use the city centre, so they can't attract decent business. Business find is hard to survive and grow, and either move out into the suburbs of just close.

I think these big developments are very nice, but I'm more interested in something like Electric Wharf - a subtle development that's not a Brash as the rest, but is quietly building up a community of people working in the creative industries - organic growth from within, and something that adds a diversity to population. This is the way to improve things.

I think before they do anything, they need to get rid of the ringroad. It's an ugly, terrible mess. The road system in Coventry needs to be more layered rather than based around the centre.

foolsgold

May 30th, 2006, 02:37 PM

News about the Belgrade Plaza and news about the station area. It's not all doom and gloom in Cov you know guys! There's also an article on the CET website plus pictures about the Radisson.

Hotel group signs up for Coventry's Belgrade Plaza

Lisa Pilkington30/05/2006 12:30

Belgrade Plaza: Radisson plans a 184-bed hotel

Oakmoor Deeley has struck a deal with Radisson Edwardian Hotels to be the leisure anchor for its £130m mixed-use Belgrade Plaza development in Coventry.

Radisson is to open a new 184-bedroom hotel, which will comprise a fitness complex and 12,000 sq ft of conference and banqueting facilities.

The hotel will be open for trading in 2008.

The £40m hotel forms a key part of the development which hopes to create a new cultural, entertainment, leisure and living quarter in the heart of the city centre.

Radisson Edwardian's Nick Smart, said: "We've been looking for opportunities across the UK and feel that Coventry is a perfect location to serve the region."

The investment follows on from Bingo-operator Gala taking 30,000 sq ft for a casino on the site, while Premier Travel Inns will operate a smaller 109 bedroom budget hotel.

Belgrade Plaza will sit on a site between the Belgrade Theatre and the ring road.

Plans also include; five bars and restaurants, 300 flats and car parking spaces in an extended Leigh Mills car park on the 3.5-acre site.

Atisreal acted for Oakmoor Deeley on the hotel transaction, while Shortland Horne and Wright Silverwood are joint letting agents for Belgrade Plaza.

AND...

Cannon Kirk plans Coventry Station mixed-use scheme

Paul Norman 30/05/2006 10:30

The scheme will cover 3m sq ft

Cannon Kirk is to partner Coventry council on a 3m sq ft mixed-use scheme around the city's Station.

The 8ha site will be masterplanned by architect Farrells to create an office and residential housing scheme which will include some leisure and shops.

The scheme will also link the railway station to buses, taxis and 600 car parking spaces as well as offering enhanced pedestrian access routes.

This will replace a dual carriageway ring road located between the station and the city centre.

Cannon Kirk is the majority landowner within the masterplan area, having bought a number of buildings as part of a site assembly programme.
The area currently houses a number of partly vacant office buildings, together with small shops and flats.

Michael Broughton, chief executive of Cannon Kirk UK, said: "Coventry has the potential to become a world class city.

"The development will be a key element in realising that potential, with a successful, growing economy and a vibrant and accessible city centre.

"We look forward to working in partnership with the City Council to deliver this exciting regeneration scheme."

inspired

May 30th, 2006, 02:51 PM

the development around the station seems quite interesting, seems like there is a push for plans to try and get rid of the ring-road which is strangling growth of the city centre.

I would like to see more intergration of public transport to and from the train station as i think its dire!

..and wooww Radisson .. which is something to shout about...esp for the city centre of coventry.

thanks for the new info foolsgold - nice one :) :cheers1:
Are there any images of the proposed plans for the station area that we can have a look at.

foolsgold

May 30th, 2006, 03:42 PM

Don't have any images of the station area except for a tiny one that basically just shows where it is. I presume nothing's actually been designed yet! I can't wait to see what's proposed there though. I think if some momentum starts to build behind all these city centre improvements, the end result in 10-15 years time could be something quite special. Because the current quality of the city centre is so low, the scope for improvements is massive, and if the current developments start to draw people back to the centre then hopefully we'll start to see even more proposals.

Well, this burst of news has got me in an optimistic mood anyway. Next thing I'll be convincing myself the sky blues are a dead cert for promotion next year!

inspired

May 30th, 2006, 04:32 PM

Well, this burst of news has got me in an optimistic mood anyway. Next thing I'll be convincing myself the sky blues are a dead cert for promotion next year!

well i hope so as the income generated into the local economy from being in the premiership runs into the millions.

Hopefully the swanswell project and its link to the new marina and Electric Wharf should tie in well with this station development. So in 10 yrs time we could see a well improved city centre

rottersclub

May 30th, 2006, 08:53 PM

inspired

May 31st, 2006, 05:03 PM

just read the article in the local paper about the park court plans.

Its taken forever to get it demolished . hope the development will help regenerate the station area, esp after the post by foolsgold about the future plans concerning the station sq area.

http://images.icnetwork.co.uk/upl/iccoventry/may2006/9/1/8A460D78-022C-06CB-65905EA96DDEF35B.jpg

rottersclub

May 31st, 2006, 09:37 PM

foolsgold

May 31st, 2006, 09:54 PM

Looking good. Been a busy couple of days for news, hasn't it?

I agree with what the head of Cassidy says in the CET about how the regeneration will work: "So we definitely don't view things like the Belgrade Plaza as competition. Quite the reverse. When Birmingham started its redevelopment, each new scheme fed off each other, and that is very much how we view this." None of this is going to be successful unless more people start using the city centre, so the developments are going to help each other by (hopefully) bringing more people in.

inspired

May 31st, 2006, 11:18 PM

Yeah, Park court looks OK. Seems to be about 18,19 storeys as well.

must be pretty tall if they say you can see memorial park from the apartments when build

rottersclub

June 1st, 2006, 02:27 AM

must be pretty tall if they say you can see memorial park from the apartments when build

Check out some of the objections on the council's planning site for some of the developments with high rise content - they're almost laughable. Some people think Coventry's York.

rottersclub

June 1st, 2006, 02:29 AM

inspired

June 1st, 2006, 09:47 AM

I'm hoping these new developments will actually draw people away from the precinct. Then they can demolish it.

i hope so....maybe we'll see the whole city centre shift side ways....with these new developments around the trian station..lol

you maybe on to something thing there though as all these new developments (swanswell, pheonix, park court, belgrade, station square) all seem to be around the periphery of the precinct.

I would like them to sort out the worst places first 1-hertford st; 2-smithford way (from woolworths to shelton sq) 3- burgees

skybluecity

June 1st, 2006, 12:12 PM

Check out some of the objections on the council's planning site for some of the developments with high rise content - they're almost laughable. Some people think Coventry's York.

was on the council site yesterday. the propsed development on raglan street has countless objections. reading through them i lost the will to live. some of them are pure comedy. for me the area around raglan street, fairfax street and east street is awful, and anything that improves it should be welcomed.

the objection to student accomodation beggers belief. i lived in that area of town, and i would much rather have students on either side of me than the work shy low-lifes i had to put up with. apperently sitting on your front wall, wearing no shirt and holding with a can of carling whilst abusing passers by is the epitomy of cool in the swanswell area.

students bring diversity and vibrancy, and if I were living close to this proposed development i'd welcome it with open arms.

inspired

June 1st, 2006, 12:22 PM

was on the council site yesterday. the propsed development on raglan street has countless objections. reading through them i lost the will to live. some of them are pure comedy. for me the area around raglan street, fairfax street and east street is awful, and anything that improves it should be welcomed.

the objection to student accomodation beggers belief. i lived in that area of town, and i would much rather have students on either side of me than the work shy low-lifes i had to put up with. apperently sitting on your front wall, wearing no shirt and holding with a can of carling whilst abusing passers by is the epitomy of cool in the swanswell area.

students bring diversity and vibrancy, and if I were living close to this proposed development i'd welcome it with open arms.

i think we should write in as a collective of people from this forum to support the development. :blahblah: :colgate:

rottersclub

June 1st, 2006, 08:55 PM

i hope so....maybe we'll see the whole city centre shift side ways....with these new developments around the trian station..lol

you maybe on to something thing there though as all these new developments (swanswell, pheonix, park court, belgrade, station square) all seem to be around the periphery of the precinct.

I would like them to sort out the worst places first 1-hertford st; 2-smithford way (from woolworths to shelton sq) 3- burgees

Hertford Street is an absolute. The combination of the old spire and Greyfriar's green/The Quadrant and cottages on Warwick Row could be excellent, but it's all wasted.

Sheldon Square/City Arcade/Bull Yard - ugh, all three need demolishing.

Burgess needs to be redeveloped as part of the Phoenix - and the Palmer lane area. the Burgess is the only pre-war street scene, and most of its buildings on the Forbidden Planet side are bricked up Medieval cottages.

rottersclub

June 1st, 2006, 08:57 PM

was on the council site yesterday. the propsed development on raglan street has countless objections. reading through them i lost the will to live. some of them are pure comedy. for me the area around raglan street, fairfax street and east street is awful, and anything that improves it should be welcomed.

the objection to student accomodation beggers belief. i lived in that area of town, and i would much rather have students on either side of me than the work shy low-lifes i had to put up with. apperently sitting on your front wall, wearing no shirt and holding with a can of carling whilst abusing passers by is the epitomy of cool in the swanswell area.

students bring diversity and vibrancy, and if I were living close to this proposed development i'd welcome it with open arms.

Sadly, you get this sort vermin in a lot of Coventry - I had to experience some of this scum when I walked back from the Jazz festival.

I'm utterly convinced the council want an extra 100,000 folk in Coventry to bring in some new blood & skills.

Erebus555

June 1st, 2006, 08:57 PM

It's all picking up for coventry. It's looking good!

foolsgold

June 1st, 2006, 10:15 PM

It's all picking up for coventry. It's looking good!

Yep, it's looking really good at the minute so long as these developments get going - we don't want to lose momentum. Hopefully something will get announced for the Millennium View site in the next few months as well, I'm sure I read a while back that three developers had been shortlisted.

On the subject of people objecting to the development in Hillfields - I get the impression there's been an organised campaign by Dave Nellist and the Socialists to oppose all sorts of development there. Anyone know if that's right? Not that I'm unsympathetic to people living round there though, surely more effort could have been made to involve them in the redevelopment of what is after all the area where they live.

Dr Pepper

June 2nd, 2006, 12:48 AM

rottersclub

June 2nd, 2006, 07:15 PM

The redevelopment of the station area is long overdue. A visitor arriving by train has an aweful view of gray, drab buildings as they leave the station. The plan seemed to suggest getting rid of the ring road there but I wonder if it will be just covered over to provide a traffic/subway free walk to Greyfriers Green. Perhaps in time the station/park court development will spread to take over the Central Six land if the value goes up enough. The land Burger King and the two sports stores next to it occpy could be sliced off and redeveloped and few would mourn there loss.

The city centre shops built after the 1950's should be redeveloped but the 'Festival of Britain' style Upper Precinct and Broadgate and fab in my opinion. Its the later embelishments (ramp, escalators, tent, Nationwide etc) that should be removed.

Coventry Station itself is a decent building, but it's too small and its surroundings are horrible.

I notice they're talking about bringing back the plans for an "outer" ringroad. This would involve a dual carriageway going around Warwick Uni. It needs one. Road access out there is terrible. It was a nightmare getting to the A46 when I was a student.

Jonny Gee

June 2nd, 2006, 09:07 PM

Front page of todays citizen...

"A giant skyway lined with shops and bars is to be built from the rail station to the city centre within the next five years".

^Think these are just plans at the moment, nothing concrete, sounds like a good idea though.
Hard to imagine what a giant skyway will look like. Hopefully is won't be some kind of monstrosity.

foolsgold

June 2nd, 2006, 09:43 PM

What on earth is a giant skyway?

Jonny Gee

June 2nd, 2006, 10:02 PM

What on earth is a giant skyway?

I don't know but the image I get in my head is an elevated walkway of some kind. I really don't know where the shops fit in???

Maybe this is some kind of joke and I've been duped :runaway:

rottersclub

June 3rd, 2006, 03:43 PM

I don't know but the image I get in my head is an elevated walkway of some kind. I really don't know where the shops fit in???

Maybe this is some kind of joke and I've been duped :runaway:

I think it just means they're going to build OVER the ringroad and hide it - so we may see a proper street going from the Station -> City centre lined with buildings.

Sounds exciting and ABOUT TIME. Now can we get rid of the boneheaded population?

inspired

June 7th, 2006, 04:49 PM

anymore news ...as after the big news headlines its all gone quiet....

....do u think they will ever happen or were they just to stories to grab the headlines??

rottersclub

June 7th, 2006, 07:53 PM

anymore news ...as after the big news headlines its all gone quiet....

....do u think they will ever happen or were they just to stories to grab the headlines??

I think it most certainly will happen. Remember, the council have been talking about the station project for some time - it's inthe development plan.

Meanwhile:

http://www.coventry.gov.uk/ccm/content/chief-executives-directorate/corporate-policy/communications-team/news-releases-2006/coventry---our-vision-for-the-future.en

rottersclub

June 8th, 2006, 06:48 PM

Looks like Paragon Park - big mixed development out in Foleshill - has been re submitted. No details yet, but I've read that this is going to include apartments, shops, offices, a "town centre" and also canal feature.b0-23

http://planning.coventry.gov.uk/portal/servlets/ApplicationSearchServlet?PKID=659086

inspired

June 9th, 2006, 09:34 AM

If all the plans get developed there will be some major alterations going to happen to the inner-city and city centre of coventry, esp in the north of coventry if Paragon Park/Swanswell/Electric Warlf area plans go through. Some major traffic problems as well i think :nuts:

sleslie48

June 12th, 2006, 12:42 PM

I really hope they cover the ring road by the station, it would be great if they could cover all the low lying bits. Was wandering round spon end, that areas such a mess because of the ring road and Im sure it discourages people from going out there unless they absolutely have to. The station is a good building, with a bit of a clean and refurbishment, it could be great, and an archetectural feature from that period (actually a good one), think its plenty big enough too, they cud do with opening all the ticket booths sometimes tho! I say bring back the trams to the canal basin! That wud be cool, and then theyd have to sort out the burgess, hertford street and Bishop Street which also needs redeveloping. Think I herd rumours from the council about improving the link to the canal from the city, but not for a while.

Hertford Street, The Burgess and the area around Smithford way (both ends) desperatly need sorting out. I think the upper precincts fine, its just been neglected and had bad planning additions put on it. Like everything it just needs a re-vamp. I actually think its a great asset to the city, and a major part of its history.

All the plans seem good but just hope they dont create more segregated zones, thats why a proper road from the station is essential, otherwise its just another mixed development outside the ring road. Skyway? Sounds dodgy to me, another crazy council dream to make coventry unique and on the edge of the future or something. Im a bit wary!

sleslie48

June 12th, 2006, 05:08 PM

Nacho

June 12th, 2006, 05:47 PM

Interesting new transport plan for Coventry.

http://www.sprint-there.co.uk/content.asp?ThreadNo=3&PagesID=551&size=

rottersclub

June 12th, 2006, 07:36 PM

Interesting new transport plan for Coventry.

http://www.sprint-there.co.uk/content.asp?ThreadNo=3&PagesID=551&size=

This idea's been knocking around for some time. Used to be called the Coventry Bus Rapid Transit System.

They're going to stuggle to get in through the war memorial park - basically, the Earsldon Area pressure groups are very powerful and will hold that up. They've already indicated that they'll object to any plan to ruin the woods that separate the memorial park from the road. However, by putting it "on the road", it's just a bus and the whole point is ruined.

It's a response to a report that stated the need for a tram system between Nuneaton/Bedworth/Coventry, but the realisation that the government isn't going to fund any tram systems.

It's just a bus. And the obsession with the "Arena" is annoying - frankly, the system doesn't follow many commuter routes, and doesn't go to the areas where a lot of commuters go to. For travel WITHIN Coventry it's absolutely useless unless you want to go to the Arena or City Centre.

The most cretinous thing about it is that they will no doubt install loads more dumb bus lanes and hold up the traffic going elsewhere. It's already a pig's ear wherever they stick bus lanes - over the last year my drive across the city has become a nightmare as they've screwed up so many junctions. The stats for the number of people WITHIN Coventry who uses buses is incredibly low as well.

Construction begins in FOUR years? Open in 2012? How the hell can it take 6 years to get a bloody bus working!

rottersclub

June 12th, 2006, 08:09 PM

oh and does anyone have pictures of the proposed buildings opposite the ikea site, the iceland and apartments development thingy. Or can link me to the planning application, cos i can't for the life of me work out that dam cov council planning website search.

I think when they've been approved, the details are removed from the website - I can't find the Iceland apartments either!

inspired

June 13th, 2006, 09:24 AM

i think this 'tram that thinks its a bus' scheme is a farce. It just going to mess up the already conjested roads in the north of coventry.

I believe in leeds & bradford they have guided bus lanes in the middle of the road, and it looks horrible, messes with the traffic flow of normal traffic, and doesnt even work.

Its just a cheaper and second class option compared to having trams. But i dont think it will bring the same level of service as trams would have (clean, reliable, comfortable).

The tram system would have also given increased the positive image of the city

-- why dont they utilise the train line between nuneaton and coventry instead and an increase in the number of trains using that line.

I hope it doesnt get the go ahead....id rather have a dedicated intergrated and expanded train network around the coventry area rather than this 'bendi-bus'....

morestoreysplease

June 14th, 2006, 11:14 AM

rottersclub

June 14th, 2006, 09:25 PM

This is just like the Metro Orange Line in Los Angeles. An old railroad track that has been developed into a 2-way bus road only. It's a great addition to the San Fernando Valley public transport system. At the terminus towards LA you could get off the bus at North Hollywood and go down to the underground station to connect to the rest of LA.
The only problem with it at first was the amount of crossroads it traverses and motorists ignoring the lights - caused a couple of crashes! But generally it's a great way for buses to move around a built up area without the need for removing 50% of road space on existing roads for a bus lane.

Except this scheme will mainly run on existing - and narrow - roads. They'll be creating congestion for commuters so people can get the Arena quicker (But not as quickly as trains if they were running on the line that runs the same way as this route.) It also doesn't go to any of the commuter areas. The Nuneaton/Bedworth/Foleshill corridor isn't where the majority of people work.

morestoreysplease

June 15th, 2006, 10:50 AM

I can't believe there's no available land where a 2 lane-wide road can be built for this system. If there's going to be a public transport route and using rail is too expensive, surely this bus-road needs to be encouraged and routed so that it's not creating extra traffic on extg roads. Don't let Martin G see this - he'll go mental!!

rottersclub

June 15th, 2006, 07:16 PM

Dr Pepper

June 16th, 2006, 12:48 AM

inspired

June 16th, 2006, 09:30 AM

im not sure what the plans are about road space as from the foleshill road roundabout and down that end of foleshill rd, all the land around the road is dotted with derelict properties..

rottersclub

June 16th, 2006, 07:48 PM

The only way trams could be reintroduced would be to lay the tracks into the existing roads. Foleshill and Stoney Stanton roads could be used as they are relatively straight and run along well used routes with plenty of people living nearby. Would cost a fortune and there would still be problems of running them into the centre. Also not sure if there is much public appetite for them. No doubt the letters page of the Cov ET would be full of pot hole fanatics moaning that money is being spent on public transport.

Trams would be pointless on these roads. They would get stuck in traffic. This is one of the reasons why trams were taken out.

Also this area of the city is poor. If they're serious about sorting out traffic issues, then they need to put transport in areas where commuters come from to places they go to. IE Commuter suburbs to major employment zones.

inspired

June 16th, 2006, 11:54 PM

theres a new updated list of forthcoming large developments around the city centre on this webpage, interestingly it mentions Phoenix Initiative Phase II

http://www.relocate-to-coventry.com/property/relocate.html

Biosonic

June 17th, 2006, 07:45 PM

One for our friends down the A45, from Architect's Journal (abridged): :)

Farrells has been picked to ‘transform Coventry’s uninspiring rail hub into a thriving commercial gateway’ as part of a wider regeneration push.

The 28,000 sq m mixed-use scheme, led by Coventry City Council in partnership with developer Cannon Kirk, will create a cohesive transport interchange for trains, buses and taxis, while offering 600 parking spaces for rail commuters.

A range of office and retail units, flats and public spaces will also feature in Farrells’ masterplan.

A key issue is how to enhance pedestrian access between the station and city centre, which is currently hindered by a busy dual-carriageway ringroad.

Terry Farrell commented: ‘This forms a perceived barrier to pedestrians. One of our key aims will be to ensure that the railway station and station square area are fundamental to the city centre and no longer adrift from it.’

Biosonic

June 20th, 2006, 03:03 PM

More good news for Cov :)

http://icbirmingham.icnetwork.co.uk/birminghampost/news/tm_objectid=17259633%26method=full%26siteid=50002%26headline=coventry%2drevs%2dup%2dfor%2dnew%2dniche%2dcar%2dprojects-name_page.html

Coventry revs up for new niche car projects

Four locations in Coventry are in the running to become a new motorcity which could act as a "honeypot" to attract niche vehicle makers into the region.

Up to 30 niche vehicle manufacturers could set up at the proposed 23-acre site, which will create an initial 500 jobs.

Advantage West Midlands is supporting the £15 million project.

The former Massey Ferguson factory at Banner Lane, Tile Hill, is thought to be the favourite for the site, which will enable firms to cooperate and pool their resources in the small scale production of vehicles.

Other locations under consideration include the former Rolls Royce site at Ansty and Peugeot's doomed factory at Ryton, just outside the city.

A site near to Coventry, at Kenilworth, where technical engineering firm Prodrive is hoping to invest £100 million on a new research and development centre, is also under consideration.

Coventry is thought to be the favoured location because of the availability of land, while a number of existing niche manufacturers are already located close to the city.

It is hoped the site could generate jobs for former car industry workers who worked at Jaguar's Browns Lane factory as well as Ryton, which is due to close next year with the loss of 2,300 jobs.

The chosen location would enable manufacturers to share showroom, back office and even technical facilities. But each of the proposed sites face obstacles.

Roger Dowthwaite, director of economic development at the Coventry, Solihull and Warwickshire Partnership, said: "The favourite is the former Massey Ferguson site in Tile Hill.

"This would be readily available and, although the site has been sold to Persimmon, part of it is earmarked for employment use. It would also have access to a pool of skilled labour in the automotive industry and be very attractive to small, niche car manufacturers."

Mr Dowthwaite said the 100-acre site at Ansty was too big, while it was too early to decide on the future of Ryton while Peugeot still made cars there.

He added: "Banner Lane is the favoured site. Discussions have been underway and we are hopeful there will be a positive outcome soon.

"To have a site like this in Coventry would be fantastic, it retains the city's interest in vehicle manufacture but recognises that the days of volume production in this country are probably over.

"As time goes on, more and more manufacturers will turn to niche markets, and this will hopefully act as a honeypot and attract more."

Coun Ken Taylor, leader of Coventry City Council, said he was delighted his city was likely to be the location for the development, which is due to be up and running within the next two years.

He said: "We would support any moves to bring this motorcity to Coventry. There is a huge number of small, niche, car manufacturers around Coventry, and this would be a boost to them.

"There are some people producing stuff for Ferrari, I believe. This development would be very welcome in Coventry, where we have a very highly skilled workforce who can work in this part of the automotive industry."

inspired

June 20th, 2006, 03:19 PM

Biosonic

June 20th, 2006, 04:28 PM

Yeah - re-carving the niche for Cov and allow the companies to save money (and become more competitive). This could spawn the start of the next big car companies :)

inspired

June 20th, 2006, 04:53 PM

:)
article in the evening telegraph tonight about the large ansty site :
"THE dream of a medical science park bringing 5,000 jobs is a step closer following the revelation that a major research firm is interested in it."

http://iccoventry.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0100localnews/tm_objectid=17260934%26method=full%26siteid=50003%26headline=5%2d000%2djobs%2dboom%2done%2dstep%2dcloser-name_page.html

rottersclub

June 21st, 2006, 01:00 AM

it would be a boost to the city if it does get it...and wpuld continue with linking the city to the motor industry -

I would say that coventry is a 'motor city' with its association to the car industry as well as its historic past

Coventry still has plenty of links with the motor industry - Jaguar's design centre, both Universities, and plenty of high tech firms in the area. Landrovers are designed at Gaydon in Warwickshire. No other UK based firms actually design their vehicles in the UK. Most of this design activity is based around Coventry, which is why the motor industry still looks to the city as being a centre for the industry.

inspired

June 28th, 2006, 12:41 PM

plans have been officially released for this sprint transport proposal in the local press

i know its been commented before in this thread.
Might go and have a look at the exhibition to see if any details for this plan has been released.
http://www.sprint-there.co.uk/content.asp?ThreadNo=3&PagesID=560&size=

any thoughts on the plans?

leoleo73

July 1st, 2006, 10:30 PM

Erebus555

July 1st, 2006, 10:34 PM

Welcome Leoleo73, great first post. Good news for cov, lets hope its accepted.

rottersclub

July 2nd, 2006, 01:12 AM

A valid planning application for Park Court has finally been made. Unfortunately aren't any "artists impressions" included. The documents "PC - Ele 1-3" are the most useful elevations. I can't correlate these to any of the "pictures" we've already seen (some of which are repeated on the last page of the Design Statement).

http://planning.coventry.gov.uk/portal/servlets/ApplicationSearchServlet?PKID=660118 (usually very slow, but OK today).

Thanks. Nineteen storey tower? That's big for Cov. Looks like a great development - the only blight between Spencer Park and Greyfriar's Green (Most cities would kill for a feature like that) is the ringroad and central six.

inspired

July 3rd, 2006, 02:04 PM

rottersclub

July 3rd, 2006, 11:22 PM

its a very exciting time for that area, esp with the future plans of station square.

It will become a very nice gateway to the city i think. Looks like the city centre is trying the expand out of the choking collar of the ring-road, especially if the plans around the swanswell come into fruition

I think different beyond recognition - it would be rather good if they could link Spencer Park, the new station stuff/Park Court with Greyfriar's Green - Greyfriar's green it iself is itself fairly attractive, although ruined by excessive street furniture and the dual carriageway. It's also one of the few areas of Coventry city centre that remains almost unchanged (almost) from its pre-war appearance. With cityscapes like that, Coventry could be made almost desirable. Naturally, the 1 hour train link to London is nothing to do with it. Ahem.

There's an amusing article in tonight's CET - a chap wanted to build a large 6 storey apartment block on the Walgsrave Road, but was told it was too large. He reduced to three storeys, and the council said "We want something bigger, a landmark building". What he submitted was pretty grim. it's good to see the council insisting on more quality - they told Ikea where to go!

inspired

July 4th, 2006, 09:43 AM

Hopefully the council planners have learned from the very bad mistakes of the past. I feel sometimes that there is an air of optimism to create Coventry into a nice and attractive medium sized city sometimes...then it just falls flat on its face when it does things like creating that road through millennium square.

inspired

July 7th, 2006, 08:32 PM

this is an article in the local paper today

If an 'elected Mayor for a greater birmingham region' idea becomes a reality, then Coventry can expect more of this to happen!

:scouserd: :goodnight :wallbash:

MP's rap over development 'favouritism'Jul 7 2006

By Fiona Scott, Political Editor

COVENTRY MP Bob Ainsworth has accused the regional development agency of not doing enough to bring 5,000 jobs to the city.

He lambasted Advantage West Midlands for allegedly favouring Birmingham-based projects over ones elsewhere in the region.

Recently, AWM chose to support a supercasino at the NEC over Coventry's rival bid for one at the Ricoh Arena, in Rowleys Green.

Now Mr Ainsworth fears the agency is not pushing hard enough for a medical science park on land at Ansty, near Coventry's new superhospital, which could bring up to 5,000 mainly highly-skilled jobs to the city.

He accused AWM of favouring a rival £100million science park at the old BBC Pebble Mill studios in Birmingham, which he described as a "shadow" of its Ansty rival.

The Labour MP for Coventry North-east said: "I do not think the casino is the most important thing in Coventry. I think Ansty is the most important thing on Coventry's agenda.

"In both of those, AWM favours Birmingham proposals against Coventry ones."

Mark Abrams, AWM director for Coventry and Warwickshire, said: "Coventry is as much a priority for Advantage West Midlands as anywhere else in the region."

He pointed out that the agency had contributed to the Ricoh Arena, Electric Wharf and the Belgrade Theatre revamp, with another £140million in the pipeline for Coventry and Warwickshire between 2005-8.

He added: "You cannot compare like with like on any project.

"Some will move forward more quickly than others because of any number of factors - for example, complexity, the number of organisations involved, value for money or viability.

"We want to move forward on Ansty as quickly as everybody else and we eagerly await viable proposals from local partners over how we do this.

"We are working with them to ensure this can happen as soon as possible."

rottersclub

July 8th, 2006, 05:49 PM

According to today's CET, the SPRINT scheme has been given provisional funding.

inspired

July 8th, 2006, 11:28 PM

According to today's CET, the SPRINT scheme has been given provisional funding.

oh dear....what a waste of money.

They've done a smiliar scheme in west-yorkshire bradford (and in leeds),
where they have guided bus lanes. The look awful and reaaly does mess up the road layout.

skybluecity

July 9th, 2006, 07:23 PM

this is an article in the local paper today

If an 'elected Mayor for a greater birmingham region' idea becomes a reality, then Coventry can expect more of this to happen!

:scouserd: :goodnight :wallbash:

get used to it, it'll only get worse. tell any of the 'greater birmingham' supporters that coventry will suffer should this proposal come off and they all scoff; but the reality is that where is there is any competition between birmingham and coventry AWM or any furture regional authority will always lean towards birmingham. those are the cold hard facts. the sooner we bail out the better.

Biosonic

July 9th, 2006, 08:52 PM

morestoreysplease

July 9th, 2006, 09:38 PM

The only time there is any disagreeable comment from Birmingham aimed at Coventry, is when your Council leader and certain MPs make derogatory statements about us regarding the City Region. I'm sorry, but Brum is the dominant city in the region by a country mile and should be the focal point and name full-stop. It will be better for all of us no question.
We are whole-heartedly as a city, behind any success coming Cov's way and we are appalled when job losses are announced too. I live in Longbridge where 6000 jobs were lost and my heart went out to the Jag workers a month later and I feel for the Ryton workers too. We do stick together as a region, so there's no point in being negative about it.

Biosonic

July 9th, 2006, 09:53 PM

Interestingly I think if we were a cohesive city-region, there may have been a chance to stop Peugeot in their tracks.

But I am for the campaign - don't buy Peugeot :)

rottersclub

July 9th, 2006, 09:58 PM

Interestingly I think if we were a cohesive city-region, there may have been a chance to stop Peugeot in their tracks.

But I am for the campaign - don't buy Peugeot :)

Peugot is in Rugby, not Coventry.

rottersclub

July 9th, 2006, 10:01 PM

AWM I think is in the right on both these issues (and I am not saying this from a Brum viewpoint).

I swapped my allegiance from a BCFC to NEC site for the casino because (amongst other reasons) I believe it will do the region better service and boost the NEC which is good for everyone.

And the medical science park issue - whilst I do not know the details, AWM and the various councils and agencies in the WMids came up with the idea of the A38 Technology Corridor from Tamworth (?) to Malvern YEARS ago, and now they are fuilfilling it. It is near Birminham Uni and the new superhospital so sounds like a good spot to me.

That said, why can't Cov go ahead anyway? And I don't see many complaints from Brum when AWM suggested creating a motor technology centre in Cov.

There is actually a Technology corridor in Coventry -> Solihull -> Warwickshire. This is part of AWM regional plan.

The medical park has been planned in Cov for years, and it is being done with the new Superhospital (Now open) and Warwick University medical school. AWM are holding the land, and preventing the development from proceeding, despite interest from some very big players.

Boosting the NEC doesn't do any good for any of the cities in the region. The NEC arena killed off all the big venues in Brum city centre and Coventry.

morestoreysplease

July 9th, 2006, 10:05 PM

Ryton is not in Rugby!! It's just SE of Cov. The NEC has single-handedly filled hotels in Cov and Birmingham for the last 30 years. Don't be such a clot.

rottersclub

July 9th, 2006, 10:13 PM

Ryton is not in Rugby!! It's just SE of Cov. The NEC has single-handedly filled hotels in Cov and Birmingham for the last 30 years. Don't be such a clot.

Ryton is in RUGBY BOROUGH.

inspired

July 10th, 2006, 09:47 AM

Ryton is not in Rugby!! It's just SE of Cov. The NEC has single-handedly filled hotels in Cov and Birmingham for the last 30 years. Don't be such a clot.

its in rugby!

brummy ignorance again...lol

sleslie48

July 10th, 2006, 12:54 PM

Insults and Midlands banter aside I think it's fairly obvious that the city region wouldn't be best for Coventry. Of course Birmingham is a much bigger city, so most benefits and favour would go to there. Coventry is a big city and has a lot of potential which is slowly (hopefully) being realised. I see it as similar to a business buy out, there's benefits for the company being bought out of course, but in the long run it's all for the main company! If you disagree with that I won't be offended, I was never very good at analogies!

rottersclub

July 10th, 2006, 07:37 PM

its in rugby!

brummy ignorance again...lol

You have to remember that everything from the M25 to Manchester Airport is in Greater Brum. It's the only way they can make Brum look as if it's an economic powerhouse.

Can this Coventry thread be moved into the general development area? I feel much at home alongside other independent cities like Preston, Leicester & Nottingham.

Biosonic

July 11th, 2006, 02:18 PM

morestoreysplease

July 11th, 2006, 10:19 PM

You have to remember that everything from the M25 to Manchester Airport is in Greater Brum. It's the only way they can make Brum look as if it's an economic powerhouse.

Can this Coventry thread be moved into the general development area? I feel much at home alongside other independent cities like Preston, Leicester & Nottingham.

No we only take the area within the built-up area thanks! Thank God for the Meridan Gap! And we are an economic powerhouse - if you think differently then you are mistaken. Coventry is doing really well altering it's own industry sectors - Great news about the new Super Hospital.
Regarding your little outburst of petulance about being buried within the Birmingham Thread - in the words of Malcolm Stent's play about ordinary Brummie 50s growing-up : go play up yer own end!!

Dr Pepper

July 13th, 2006, 07:55 PM

There is a council notice in todays CET stating Palmer Lane will be closed on the 14th of July for demolition work. I wonder if this could be related to any future work on Millennium Place?

Accura4Matalan

July 14th, 2006, 01:31 AM

Can this Coventry thread be moved into the general development area? I feel much at home alongside other independent cities like Preston, Leicester & Nottingham.
Yeah, join the non-metro area club :D

rottersclub

July 14th, 2006, 07:43 PM

No we only take the area within the built-up area thanks! Thank God for the Meridan Gap! And we are an economic powerhouse - if you think differently then you are mistaken. Coventry is doing really well altering it's own industry sectors - Great news about the new Super Hospital.
Regarding your little outburst of petulance about being buried within the Birmingham Thread - in the words of Malcolm Stent's play about ordinary Brummie 50s growing-up : go play up yer own end!!

Erm, what petulance? I don't read any of the other threads in this section as I'm not interested. Simple as that.
Yes, thank God for the Meriden Gap!

rottersclub

July 14th, 2006, 07:54 PM

And Warwickshire Cricket Club is not based in Warks? So what? Go check with the TGWU, BBC, Coventry Evening Telegraph and whoever else and they all say Ryton, Coventry.

For goodness sake - all this coming from people who claim not to be from the West Midlands (even though they are) but pick up on a technicality of Ryton's postcode.

And the NEC has boosted the west mids no end. The Arena has fitted the niche for large venues (although it needs expanding) and BCFC and CCFC are quite capable of holding stadium concerts. I don't know about Cov, but Brum is doing just fine with the Academy and the NIA as its largest city centre venues.

It's a well known fact that the music venue for mainstream acts in Coventry was killed off when the NEC opened. Warwick Arts centre is on the outskirts and is a major venue, but rarely has mainstream acts - which suits me fine, as I don't listen to mainstream garbage.

The comment about Ryton was about some mong pointing out that a "greater Brum" would have stopped Peugot closing (Um, yeah, I suppose threatening to have a load of Brummies come over to Paris and talk to them would be incentive!). However, Ryton is in Rugby Borough, and not included in this mythical "Greater" Brum. Anyway, the decision was made by Peugot, and no amount of campaigning is going to reverse it. Most Frogs have prob. never heard of Brum anyway.

rottersclub

July 14th, 2006, 08:05 PM

There is a council notice in todays CET stating Palmer Lane will be closed on the 14th of July for demolition work. I wonder if this could be related to any future work on Millennium Place?

I doubt it. Millennium place is dump now - I went down there the other day. They should seriously give up on Cov until they can actually make some of these schemes work. If that means killing half the population then that's fine by me. The dump is filled with tattooed bozos.

Accura4Matalan

July 14th, 2006, 11:01 PM

No thread yet :?

skybluecity

July 18th, 2006, 03:29 PM

No thread yet :?

done :okay:

Biosonic

July 18th, 2006, 03:42 PM

More's the pity. Not many Brummies will venture over to have a look now :(

Good news from Ford for Witley & Gaydon though! :)

skybluecity

July 18th, 2006, 03:45 PM

i'm just playing a bit biosonic. it'll probably be closed anyway.

and yes, you're right, very good news indeed.

skybluecity

July 18th, 2006, 04:06 PM

I doubt it. Millennium place is dump now - I went down there the other day. They should seriously give up on Cov until they can actually make some of these schemes work. If that means killing half the population then that's fine by me. The dump is filled with tattooed bozos.

totally agree about millennium place. what a mess. 2 years since the development was 'completed' and still the area across from the transport museum remains vacant. i know the wavy flats proposal fell through, but that was months ago and still no news. there isn't a planning application on the table yet, and as we know that process can takes months, so it'll be a nother 2 years before we see anything tangible. what a wasted opportunity.

its interesting that images of the whittle arches are often used to promote the city. i like the whittle arches, but in truth the area around them is an embarrasment. and don't get me started on pool meadow!

its strange how the council are considering phoenix initiative phase 2, that's all well and good, but perhaps they should complete phase 1 and try to make that work first.

rottersclub

July 18th, 2006, 09:46 PM

totally agree about millennium place. what a mess. 2 years since the development was 'completed' and still the area across from the transport museum remains vacant. i know the wavy flats proposal fell through, but that was months ago and still no news. there isn't a planning application on the table yet, and as we know that process can takes months, so it'll be a nother 2 years before we see anything tangible. what a wasted opportunity.

its interesting that images of the whittle arches are often used to promote the city. i like the whittle arches, but in truth the area around them is an embarrasment. and don't get me started on pool meadow!

its strange how the council are considering phoenix initiative phase 2, that's all well and good, but perhaps they should complete phase 1 and try to make that work first.

The wavy flats didn't fall through - the council decided they wanted more retail/offices over apartments due to the number of apartment schemes already going up. Didn't they put it out to tender and are in the process of selecting which scheme they want?

I notice that the "Paragon Park" development has been given the go ahead. This is a fascinating development - an almost complete village out in the middle of the suburbs complete with houses, offices, shops, a high street, and extensions to the canal. From what I've seen, the heights of the buildings will be up to 10 storeys in the centre of the village...

The problem with "the Phoenix" is that although it's in some ways excellent - the historic aspect of it, with the ruins of the original Cathedral, the priory undercrofts and the ancient city walls. However, it's linkage to the rest of the city is poor.

They need to go to Brum and look at how New street links to a series of public places. Coventry's precinct tends to form a shopping ghetto, and it doesn't lead folk out. Given that outside the precinct Cov still has some potentially excellent areas filled with medieval buildings, it seems a shame. Someone has to SMASH the precinct open, make it lead naturally elsewhere.

If the Phoenix Initiative _went_ somewhere, it might be better.

Having said that, the bars there are always busy and seem quite popular.

I notice the Belgrade Plaza development is having huge success in signing up tenants.

rottersclub

July 18th, 2006, 09:48 PM

More's the pity. Not many Brummies will venture over to have a look now :(

Good news from Ford for Witley & Gaydon though! :)

Yup. Indeed. Far better than the laughable attempt by the Chinese.

inspired

July 18th, 2006, 10:50 PM

its strange how the council are considering phoenix initiative phase 2, that's all well and good, but perhaps they should complete phase 1 and try to make that work first.

any plans and info on what they are considering with the phoenix initiative phase 2

inspired

July 18th, 2006, 10:51 PM

i'm just playing a bit biosonic. it'll probably be closed anyway.

and yes, you're right, very good news indeed.

wheres this new thread for coventry located then?

Biosonic

July 19th, 2006, 09:56 AM

Yup. Indeed. Far better than the laughable attempt by the Chinese.

Yeah - they are sticking to their national stereotype by being vague.

Still, I live within the 'fallout' area of Longbridge and everybody has given up hope on MG Rover so any car that is produced there is a bonus. Work has begun on site for the construction of new research facilities and technology park so Longbridge's regeneration has begun :)

The bridge over the A38 is due to come down in August too...

As for Belgrade Plaza - I really like this development and it is good to see it is popular. As an outsider, I think this is the development which will crack the nut for Coventry, unleashing more development.

I worked with the architects (on a different project) when they were bidding to win this and having seen a few of the entries, the right one won :)

Pharoah

July 19th, 2006, 11:57 AM

skybluecity

July 19th, 2006, 01:46 PM

As for Belgrade Plaza - I really like this development and it is good to see it is popular. As an outsider, I think this is the development which will crack the nut for Coventry, unleashing more development.

I worked with the architects (on a different project) when they were bidding to win this and having seen a few of the entries, the right one won :)

the belgrade plaza is undoubtedly the best thing happening in coventry at the moment. a proper, high-quality, mixed-use development ie not just another apartment block that will remain half-empty for years. it will also be an excellent addition to the city's skyline. more of the same please.

inspired

July 19th, 2006, 03:10 PM

i hope the park court development is just as good (high quality mixed-use development).....followed by the station square development.

I also expect the ikea building to be of a high standard as well (fingers crossed)

inspired

July 19th, 2006, 03:14 PM

driving down foleshill road i can see a top of a building thats getting extended up-wards. Its on the canal front i think abit behind magnet & kiwk fit. Looks like an old warehouse having a make-over down .... anyone got any info on this

...also any news on the swanswell intiative>?

rottersclub

July 20th, 2006, 01:54 AM

Our Felow citizens there in Coventry need to seriously wake up. Up to until 1974 Brum like Coventry was part of Warwickshire. However . in the 21st Century Local borders need to be realigned along economic, travel to work, cultural, and industrial lines. The West mids conurbation is more or less everyting apart from name Greater Birimingham whether we like it or not.
We sky blues will always have our identity, as will the Black Country folk. But ifWest Midlands is going to remade into global economic metropolis. Greater Birmingham is the only credible name that would be recognized the world over attracting global investment, development & capital. Enhancing neighbouring cities like Coventry,Wolves & Lichfield. If we're lucky the city-region Mayor could easily be from Coventry. So guys chill out accept change -- change is growth. Get OVER IT.

There is not a huge % of commuters between Brum/Coventry. The transport links between the two are fine - a main line and two large roads. The vast majority of Coventry's workforce work in Coventry, with fairly substantial numbers coming from Nuneaton/Bedworth and Warwick/Kenilworth/Leamington and Rugby.
Coventry isn't in the West Midlands Conurbation (OFFICIALLY, the WM Con. is Brum & the Black Country plus Solihull)
Economically, Coventry isn't dependent on Brum. The recent Rover collapse highlighted this - Coventry wasn't hugely affected.
Coventry has no need for a transport policy with the rest of the West Mids Conurbation. It has a huge need for transport links with Warwickshire.
Coventry has attracted huge inward investment in its own right already.
People are moving away from huge conurbation - recenty surveys highlight how much more desirable small -> mid sized cities are becoming.

There's no evidence for any of what you say - rather than be enhanced, Coventry would lose its ability to market itself. This week Ford annouced huge investment at Whitley. That's not because of Birmingham, but because Coventry is still widely recognised as being a centre of engineering excellent in the motor industry. That's what TATA are setting up a Research and Development Plant here at Warwick University and looking for a large site that may be employing 2000 people.

I suspect most of the Brummies here only like the plan as it means they can spout statistics about Brum's population being bigger than Manchester's. However, you can scream about it all you want, but Coventry isn't in the conurbation, not until someone fills in that gap of countryside between the two.

I'm sick of hearing it now - the councils in the region have come out against the mayoral plan anyway, and favour the arrangement as it is. Even AWM state that due to the multi centred nature of the area, they don't think it's a good idea.

rottersclub

July 20th, 2006, 02:26 AM

Yeah - they are sticking to their national stereotype by being vague.

Still, I live within the 'fallout' area of Longbridge and everybody has given up hope on MG Rover so any car that is produced there is a bonus. Work has begun on site for the construction of new research facilities and technology park so Longbridge's regeneration has begun :)

The bridge over the A38 is due to come down in August too...

As for Belgrade Plaza - I really like this development and it is good to see it is popular. As an outsider, I think this is the development which will crack the nut for Coventry, unleashing more development.

I worked with the architects (on a different project) when they were bidding to win this and having seen a few of the entries, the right one won :)

Yup, Belgrade Plaza is beginning to impress me - and I'm the world's biggest cynic - especially now I've seen the 3D model of it and realised it's actually two new streets plus more. It looks like it's attracting the big names, as well. That's pretty unsual for Coventry city centre.

MG Rover - no surprises there. A token gesture really, I suspect they're not interested at all, and I doubt many people in the UK will buy what is effectively a Chinese car that's just assembled here.

Biosonic

July 20th, 2006, 10:29 AM

Dr Pepper

July 23rd, 2006, 02:08 AM

rottersclub

July 31st, 2006, 03:09 AM

I think most people are against the mayoral plan - I don't see a problem with each council having a directly-elected mayor (if they want one) but I still support a city-region council made up of leaders of the individual councils.

How else are we supposed to deal with regional issues? Leave it to the government? That doesn't work - they gave us a private, unused motorway.

That's effectively what you've got. The problem is that Coventry isn't part of the conurbation, and quite simply doesn't share the same "regional issues" with it - as witnessed by endless complaints that the current regional development agency isn't really much help here (Especially with transport). It shared them more in the 70s and 60s when the local car industry was much stronger and larger - but it's gone now, with no car assembly in Coventry, just design and engineering (Whitley, Gaydon and a centre at Warwick Uni.). All the assembly has moved to Brum, which makes sense as Coventry never was a big maker of components - it was always an assembly centre with parts shipped in from elsewhere, mainly other parts of the West Mids.

M6 Toll wasn't a regional issue. It's a nationwide issue that the M6 through Brum creates a bottleneck and the M6 toll was just a means of alleviating that to make north-> south travel easier. it's fab. I use it all the time. It cuts 30 minutes off my journeys to Lancashire.

rottersclub

July 31st, 2006, 03:14 AM

One of the problems the developers of the Phoenix Initiative had was that Sainsburys refused to move to another site nearby and so creating a pinch point between Millenium Place and Priory Place. This narrow corridor could seem off putting for some people. Overall the scheme achieves its stated aim of linking the Cathedral with the Motor Museum with new spaces and buildings and show off more of Coventry to visitors, most of whom never ventured beyond the Cathedral. Its a smaller scheme than was originally envisiged which would have included a Museum of Human Achievement and the removal the the current Motor Museum buildings.

As I understood it, the original design is what was built, but the narrow corridor (Which i think is its best feature) was originally supposed to offer a view of the Cathedral spire. Sainsbury's refused to move. The council lacked the balls to CP. So the development isn't actually doing what it was supposed to do.

Now the bus station's opened, it's just a mess down there. Honestly, they need to pull it up and redo it.

Although the commercial units are all full now.

I actually walked down there this weekend - pretty grim looking. Large gangs of kids hanging around, lots of litter and all the fountains are broken and vandalised. Pathetic.
God knows what the people who paid a fortune for those apartment must think.

Cov City council- under labour - were obsessed with museums, and seemed to come up with ideas for museums that wouldn't have exhibits. What on Earth does a museum for "reconcilliation" have in it? Clueless.

foolsgold

August 2nd, 2006, 08:15 PM

Some news about Millennium View in today's Evening Telegraph. There's a picture (http://images.icnetwork.co.uk/upl/iccoventry/aug2006/2/0/CF0B9716-ADD3-DB07-A764B31DCD241A8F.jpg) with the article as well. Maybe finally something will start to happen here.

Stunning vision of city centre complex
Aug 2 2006

By Kerry Beadling

THIS is the latest plan for a shops, flats and bars complex in Coventry city centre.

The seven-storey scheme is for a derelict site opposite Millennium Place and overlooking the Whittle Arches.

It replaces a "wavy flats" project which was scrapped last year because it was too expensive.

Councillors are being asked to back Birmingham-based Richardson Cordwell's plan in a report by officers.

Story continues

ADVERTISEMENT

The original plan by Complex Development Project to build 60 plush 'wavy' flats on the site was rejected by Coventry City Council because of higher costs in December 2005.

Eight developers submitted plans in December 2005 with a shortlist of three drawn up in February 2006, including Barberry Developments/Chase Homes and Henry Davidson Developments.

Richardson Cordwell's plan for 55 apartments, car parking for 50 cars on the first floor and 17,000 sq ft of shops and cafe bars on the ground floor is the favourite.

The cabinet meets on Tuesday, August 8.

Cllr Dave Arrowsmith, the councillor in charge of planning, said: "We feel that the Richardson Cordwell proposal is based on a sound financial footing, is the perfect architectural style to complement Millennium Place and at the same time offers the best and most innovative proposal for car parking.

"Millennium View is the final piece in the Phoenix Initiative jigsaw and once it is completed it will finish off the area perfectly.

"We were looking for a landmark building, but also one that could be delivered and which was based on a sound financial footing."

If appointed Richardson Cordwell would submit detailed plans as a formal planning application in autumn, with work starting on the site next spring.

Lee Richardson from Richardson Cordwell said: "The Millennium View site is a fantastic opportunity for us. We can feel a real buzz about the place.

"We are keen to show what we can do and we plan to deliver a top quality development worthy of its surroundings which will add a new dimension to Millennium Place."

inspired

August 3rd, 2006, 09:53 AM

yeah good news...but its already on the other thread for coventry which is located in the projects and construction area

Biosonic

August 3rd, 2006, 10:50 AM

Well, Richardson Cordwell are a bit hit and miss but get things done, and they have a decent record in that neck of the woods with the Ropewalk Shopping Centre in Nuneaton.

It looks nice enough (the 'wavy' flats were blue render weren't they? That was a narrow escape!) and I am delighted they used "landmark" instead of "iconic". Grrr!

They are not Birmingham-based though - they are from Oldbury (J2 M5) ;)

SoundMan

August 12th, 2006, 11:39 PM

Dr Pepper

August 13th, 2006, 06:15 PM

A interesting idea about a Coventry Tube but the number of people who would use it wouldn't justify the enormous costs of building one. I think Birmingham looked into building an underground transport system recently but decided against on cost grounds.

SoundMan

August 14th, 2006, 12:13 AM

SoundMan

August 18th, 2006, 12:35 PM

rottersclub

August 20th, 2006, 07:59 PM

I know what you mean about cost but just the thought of it sounds good to me anyway. I was thinking there should be 2 lines to start with, one line that starts at central 6 were you can also walk under to the main station. This line would take you to:

line 1

From central 6 to :

1. To the main station if not linked underground with a foot path link.
2. Grayfriars Lane.
3. Upper precinct near to or where the ole toliets used to me.
4. Then to the Belgrade Theater, Cooperation street.

This would only be a thought to a start of a whole system.

Line 2

would only have 3 stops.

1. Sky Dome.
2. Upper precinct near to or where the ole toliets used to me.
3. Pool Medow Bus Station.

The Station at Upper precinct near to or where the ole toliets used to me, would we connected to people can change lines.

This is my idea to make transport a little easier round the City Centre.
Would be good to see this one day, as a bigger idea to connect the whole city and with Birmingham. But I know it will never happen due to the cost of it.

You also have to remember that alot of Coventry is mined! So if this was ever done would it make it a little bit easier and safe on cost?

many thanks for reading my idea.

There's no need to increase connection with Birmingham - the main line railway is sufficient. The real demand is for connections to North Warwickshire & South Warwickshire.

There are issued with excavating in Coventry city centre - for a start, the ground is sandy, and secondly, there is a lot of archaeology. Recent evidence has, I believe, come to light to indicate that Coventry may be have Roman origins or have been used as a settlement during Roman times.

Ikea can't do an underground car park as they would destroy archaeology - remember Cov is on the of UK's old cities, and any big development that is over an area that was within the city's walls is likely to be excavated first. Beneath Belgrade Plaza, they found stretched of the old city wall,which is backfilled in and preserved.

rottersclub

August 20th, 2006, 08:03 PM

Dont you think that the council building in centre coventry are to spread out. Why cant they just build a tall tower block, that has style etc, so that evey thing is located in the same place, rather that walking from 1 building to another. Also the buildings there are using are out dated and look pretty crap!

LOL, they are outdated, but I don't think they're crap. In fact, I think the grassy area along little park street, in front of the council buildings and courts, is an excellent piece of planning. It's big problem is that it's a civic area -hence, it's deserted all the time.

I don't think they're spread out - a council of that size requires a lot of office space and employees. If they wanted to fit it all in a tower it'd have to be 100 floors high.

The only disgrace is that HORRIBLE tunnel linking the old and new Town Hall.

rottersclub

August 20th, 2006, 08:04 PM

rottersclub

August 20th, 2006, 08:06 PM

The transport system in Coventry need to thought about alot, as it is very hard to get around the City without a car. Why dont the council think about a Underground system like London with the tube. They could link the train station with City centre with 5 different stop and from there built it up around the city if it works out?

It's not that easy to get around WITH a car, either! :)

By they, a couple of years ago the council proposed a "People mover" (TRAM) that would go from the railway station, through the city centre, and end up at the bus station. The plan was cancelled. It was rubbish.

pauliewalnuts

August 21st, 2006, 01:41 AM

It's not that easy to get around WITH a car, either! :)

By they, a couple of years ago the council proposed a "People mover" (TRAM) that would go from the railway station, through the city centre, and end up at the bus station. The plan was cancelled. It was rubbish.

The ring road around Coventry (excuse the ignorance if that isnt what it is, i mean the road that goes past that Sky Dome thing), is surely one of the worst pieces of road in the country.

Dreadfully planned, nightmarishly dangerous to use, the slip and exit roads are pathetically short, and you often have to veer across several lanes of traffic at short notice.

it is one of the more scary pieces of road I've ever used, and I lived (and drove) in Italy for 3 years, which is saying something.

SoundMan

August 21st, 2006, 04:23 PM

True the ring road around Coventry is not well planned at all, it should be knocked down and rebuilt, but at ground level and a bit further out so it gives more space for inner city developments and if it was at ground level it would not seperate the city centre from the rest of the city!

Bel Ludovic

August 21st, 2006, 06:16 PM

rottersclub

August 21st, 2006, 07:57 PM

The ring road around Coventry (excuse the ignorance if that isnt what it is, i mean the road that goes past that Sky Dome thing), is surely one of the worst pieces of road in the country.

Dreadfully planned, nightmarishly dangerous to use, the slip and exit roads are pathetically short, and you often have to veer across several lanes of traffic at short notice.

it is one of the more scary pieces of road I've ever used, and I lived (and drove) in Italy for 3 years, which is saying something.

I loathe it, not for driving on (Which is scary, but I'm used to it) but for the actual concept, and the way it cut off the city centre.

rottersclub

August 21st, 2006, 08:01 PM

The idea of a Coventry Underground is laughable. It will never, ever, EVER happen!

Look at the trouble Birmingham and Manchester have in getting the Treasury to squeeze out some cash for their tram networks - and they're the 'Second Cities'. In Birmingham's case, the tram 'network' consists of a single line. Trams are supposed to be the cheap option, too, compared to Metros - and yet...

Meanwhile cities of a similar standing in just about every other comparable European country all come equipped with Metros. Some have trams too. Even in non-comparable European countries such as Greece this is the case - Thessaloniki will soon start building its Metro.

The Treasury is bewilderingly stingy when it comes to public transport, and Undergrounds/Metros are so expensive that it's safe to say that there will never be another one built outside London again.

And even if there were, there are about ten+ cities that would be in front of Coventry in the queue anyway.

So dream on...

I suspect hte poster is having a bit of a joke. The best they can manage in Cov is a "Bus that looks like a tram". LOL. Even using "Cut and Shove" it's horrendously expensive and these systems don't recoup their costs (In government speak "Value for Money").

I too doubt we'll see one outside of London. I doubt we'll see anymore tram systems built, despite the "white paper" of a few years ago promising that we'd all be trammed up by now.

Dr Pepper

August 23rd, 2006, 07:09 PM

Dr Pepper

August 23rd, 2006, 07:14 PM

"I loathe it, not for driving on (Which is scary, but I'm used to it) but for the actual concept, and the way it cut off the city centre."

I really don't mind driving on it, but then I did use it when learning to drive. I just wish people would realise that the inside lane is for people driving beyond the next junction. IT IS NOT AN OVERTAKING LANE SO STOP DRIVING IN MY BOOT!!. Ahh.. that feels better.

foolsgold

August 23rd, 2006, 08:38 PM

IT IS NOT AN OVERTAKING LANE SO STOP DRIVING IN MY BOOT!!. Ahh.. that feels better.

Hear hear.

rottersclub

August 24th, 2006, 02:22 AM

Although the ring road is far from perfect is does at least work in keeping traffic out of the centre. It is far too small and far to close to the centre though. If you look at this site http://www.historiccoventry.co.uk/postwar/develop.php there is a section about how they originally planned 3 ring roads, only the current ring road was completed in full. Personally I think just the middle and out ring roads should have been built with the centre left alone. With the Swanswell Initiative part of the ring road should be lowered to ground level. I would certainly be prepared to take along a sledge hammer and lend a hand.

I have also read in a booklet about old plans for a north-south road which Phoenix Way fulfils in part, although it stops short of Toll Bar Island.

Corporation Street was actually originally part of the ringroad, but they moved it out.

It was planned and built, unfortunately, by people who weren't from Coventry, for a population that had migrated from elsewhere for the high wages and jobs. Most of these people didn't care much for the old historic city, and it was all torn down and replaced by what were then "ideas" for town planning that are mainly considered pretty bad these days. At the time of the rebuilding, many local people felt that the plans were "cold" and ugly, and shop owners didn't like the precinct idea.

"Ideas" didn't work, and were attempted again. Architects wanted to stamp their name down by building towers at strategic points to "compliment" the Cathedral spires... No attempt was made to preserve old inner city areas of top shops and watchmakers houses - all left to rot when the ringroad was cut through them and cut them off. Attempts to build "Quarters" failed dismally, leaving the city centre without a business district and a huge University/Civic Centre that's deserted. Over 100 medieval buildings town down, remains of streets pulled up and replaced with bleak plazas and cheap shacks...

The council made some baffling decisions over the rebuilding, and they're paying for it now with a city that was "planned" but is the most poorly working city I've ever known. The place is virtually inaccessible by car and foot.

The only "light" i can see is if they actually use the land around the ringroad for more things like Park Court and Belgrade Plaza, and this provides the impetus to start lowering it and making into a series of surfact level roads.

When the ringroad was planned Coventry was a lot smaller than it is now.

You have to remember that 20 years before the blitz, places like Stoke were still villages... The population grew, but people ended up living in huge "tent" cities as there was not enough housing. Places like GEC at Stoke were in the countryside, and no suburbs had been laid out. Earlsdon had only recently been connected to the city, and Foleshill was a "rural district" of Warwickshire.

Biosonic

August 24th, 2006, 09:58 AM

rottersclub

August 28th, 2006, 10:01 PM

I was looking at an old road atlas the other day and it had maps of Birmingham and Coventry city centres, and one thing that shocked me was that they were approximately the same size! The (now mostly dismantled) Birmingham Inner Ring Road (Queensway) looked about the same size as Coventry Ring Road, and the scale was the same on the map.

Ring roads are IMO good in theory, but in practice.... well, we know only too well.

I think the big difference is that the ringroad in Brum seemed (To me) to always be more built up around it - whereas the land around Coventry ringroad was never really built up much (Until now) and filled with cheap looking buildings built on cheap land.

Rigadon

August 28th, 2006, 11:06 PM

The Coventry ring road is raised up higher as well. The highest bit if Brums was at masshouse circus and that was the worst bit.

Biosonic

August 29th, 2006, 09:56 AM

Yeah - the Coventry ring road reminds me a bit of elevated highways I've seen in the US - light industry flanking the road, with the city core further inwwards.

rottersclub

August 30th, 2006, 11:06 PM

Yeah - the Coventry ring road reminds me a bit of elevated highways I've seen in the US - light industry flanking the road, with the city core further inwwards.

That's exactly what it is - they demolished a heap of Victorian Villas, Victorian Mills and built the ringroad. The land around it was unusable due to its odd shapes, and ended up being filled with cheap industrial units. To make matters worse, the old Whitefriar's Abbey, a massive medieval structure, was left slap bang next to a huge raised section and cut off from ANYWHERE - therefore rendered useless, and places like the canal basin were left without any access and fell into dereliction. Spon End was filled with Victorian watchmakers' "topshops" and these all fell into dereliction as they were cut off by the ringroad. The end result - a "core" of shopping/offices with a huge band of land filled with derelict/semi-derelict old houses, half-streets of Edwardian houses and a baffling set of inaccessible exits and junctions.

Absolute garbage - anyone who defends it needs their head lobbing off and buried in a concrete foundation somewhere..

El Paulo

August 31st, 2006, 09:56 AM

foolsgold

August 31st, 2006, 10:09 AM

MartinN, has the idea of doing a similar job to Cov's ringroad as they've done to Brum's been mooted at all? I've not been to Cov for years so can't remember what it's exactly like or if a downgrading would be at all possible.

It is a shame however, as I've said before, local town planners just finished the job the Germans started! Is it true that Cov's city centre would have been on a par with some of the other medieval towns in England eg Chester or York if it had not been bombed and developed into oblivion?

Yes - there's currently a plan as part of the Swanswell initiative to remove one junction of the ring road and downgrade it to create a straight boulevard-style road. It's just one option at the minute, nothing's been decided as far as I know, but hopefully the council will give it the go-ahead.

Your second point is unfortunately true. Look at http://www.historiccoventry.co.uk/nowandthen/nowandthen.php and weep.

Dr Pepper

September 2nd, 2006, 02:17 PM

rottersclub

September 2nd, 2006, 09:29 PM

Even before the German town planners made a flying visit to Coventry huge numbers of medieval buildings were demolished in the centre to build wider roads. Many of the post war reconstruction schemes were based on existing pre-war plans, such as the Broadgate traffic island. With or without the bombers Coventry city centre was screwed.

I've read that one plan proposed (Pre war) was to build a "New Town" from the old city centre up into Hillfields, and keep the "Old Town". There was a lot of opposition to the wholesale demolition of hte old Shambles.

The problem was that the city centre was medieval, and unsuitable for the motor car and the expanding population.

El Paulo

September 4th, 2006, 07:00 PM

Your second point is unfortunately true. Look at http://www.historiccoventry.co.uk/nowandthen/nowandthen.php and weep.
I could feel the lump in my throat rising as I looked at that web-site and I am appalled at the loss of what might have been! Hopefully, the renaissance of Coventry will see attempts to rectify what was done, if it's not happening already (maybe it will coincide with Birmingham's recent enlightenment in town planning and the two cities can spur each other on to even greater things).

My wife loves Coventry Cathedral and I think she wants to go again soon. I shall look at the city with new eyes - thankyou!

rottersclub

September 5th, 2006, 01:18 AM

I could feel the lump in my throat rising as I looked at that web-site and I am appalled at the loss of what might have been! Hopefully, the renaissance of Coventry will see attempts to rectify what was done, if it's not happening already (maybe it will coincide with Birmingham's recent enlightenment in town planning and the two cities can spur each other on to even greater things).

My wife loves Coventry Cathedral and I think she wants to go again soon. I shall look at the city with new eyes - thankyou!

Yup, it's all gone, but what's left is some of the most important medieval buildings in the UK - the Cathedral, Mary's Guild Hall, the old Grammar School and the other two city centre churches - oh, and the medieval almhouses... So I suppose we should be thankful for that. Quite how they fit in with what seems to be a lot of taller modern buildings is anyone's guess, but you can't let the fragments of the old city determine its future.

If you want a good, interesting tour, try moving out of the Cathedral Quarter down through Priory Place to "Arches" - then you can walk up through a park with a stretch of the city wall between two city gates. From here, you're stuffed, though, and the "true" Coventry gets in the way, with dead ends and ringroads.

However... If you brave the Back of Beyond, you can find the Canal Basin, which is OK for a wander - and quite a lot like it was in the past, heavily restored. If you dare, it's a shop hop round to the Bond's Street Almhouses and the old Church of Saint John's at the bottom of Holyhead road - there's also a bunch of old weavers cottages and a few old pubs and a restaurant (Bar Eden).

Then there's Spon Street, with the new Ikea going up. Further round is Greyfriar's green, with some nice Victorian villas and Georgian cottages. Then a stone's throw are Ford's hospital and Cheylesmore Manor house... Blah blah... Some medieval archway and the ruins of a medieval house...

Actually, my hands typing... The tourist office used to do a great guide... I reckon you'd need a day to see it all, but I think I'd rather fall into Whitefriars or the Windmill and get bladdered on real ale!!!

El Paulo

September 5th, 2006, 08:12 AM

rottersclub

September 5th, 2006, 09:53 PM

Cheers MartinN - I've got my work cut out!
Do you think they're going in the right direction at the moment with the new stuff that's going up and are you hopeful about the long term future of the city, architecturally speaking?

Since you're so knowledgeable, will the new Ikea have the "Lekvik" stained drawers (£69.50), cause the Wednesbury one's been OUT OF STOCK FOR AGES NOW?!!!

I think they're going in the right direction - but not only with the redevelopment, but more importantly, with the changes to the city's economy. That has been the biggest concern since the 1960s, and they seem to have finally diversified to the point where Peugot's closure doesn't seem to actually worry anyone, or have any sort of devastating effect.

I think the city centre developments so far have been good, but suffer from being too piecemeal - Belgrade Plaza, Ikea/Twin Tower apartments, Phoenix Initiative, Park Court, Friar's Road are all excellent, but the linkage between them is still a mish-mash of old streets and post-war clutter. One problem with Coventry has always been how to consolidate the ancient (Minority) with the new (Majority) in a tasteful manner and somehow "link" them.

I think they made a huge mistake with the lower precinct - I believe if they redeveloped based around using the "old" as "landmarks" or cornerstones to squares or areas, then they could link them with newer developments (Such as Belgrade Plaza) which are of modern scale and offer the facilities required of a modern city, and keep the older areas of similar scale and use them as "showpieces".

The lower precinct should have been demolished - the redevelopment should have focussed on linking the Cathedral Quarter/Broadgate with the Spon Street area. Similarly, Hertford Street should be redeveloped as an avenue between the Cathedral Quarter and Greyfriar's green, which itself has an ancient spire and plenty of other historical stuff.

Architecturally speaking - Park Court and Belgrade Plaza look OK, but I'm more interested in the station quarter. I don't think we'll any huge tall buildings in Cov, mainly because I doubt anyone'd want to do one, and the "protected" views may scupper them.