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Far Gosford Street | Development | U/C

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164K views 1K replies 43 participants last post by  Fernando Partridge 
#1 · (Edited)
Here you go, Stig!

This thread was created for stig1982 who promises to put some stuff here soon...
 
#2 ·
A Walk Down the Street

Thought I would post these photos for reference.

This a the view of the top of the street where it meets Sky Blue Way.




The street has now been made one way and the pavements have been replaced and widened.




Looking down the east side of the street.






This industrial estate is due for redevelopment. I believe a market is planned here. At one time there was a cinema on this site.




More shops.




Next to the car park, this old pub is now a restaurant.




Just a phone shop away is the closed Hand and Heart pub....




...next to which we have some timber framed buildings undergoing a rather slow renovation. Goes to show how old this street is.




A view over that fence. This land is due to be redeveloped.




Further along, more shops including the well used Costcutter.






This old school hall is now nightclub called Scholars. This single story building with the green door used to a tiny pub.




Over the road, next to the curry house we have a Rileys Pool club. This building used to another cinema.




At the bottom of the hill we have old Callcot car factory, now part of a halls of residence. Some of the land beyond will be developed by Coventry University.

 
#3 · (Edited)
Back up the Other Side

The north side. Starting with what sits opposite the pool hall.




Where the street becomes one way. Here are some of the better looked after timber framed buildings.




The Engine Engine Pub and some not so well looked after timber framed buildings.




Restoration best happen soon or there won't be much left to save.




This area used to be the approach to All Saints Church. It was closed in the 60's and demolished to make way for Sky Blue way.




It used to look like this.




Further up some post war additions.




Time may have run out for this pair.




Some recent additions. Both the 3 and 2 story buildings with the white woodwork are new.




Another pub. This one is actually used as such.




One of the gems of the street. Six of the citys few remaining top shops. Pity they are is such disrepair.




More top shops?




More shops including a rather private one...




At the top we have Lloyds Bank. This used to be the front building of the Humber Motor Works.




Behind all this we have Sky Blue Way leading down to the ring road.

 
#4 ·
Thanks for those Dr Pepper - I love the old building next to the hand & heart.

Far Gosford Street is one of the city's medieval suburbs, and was probably there before the city wall was built. It's typical of ribbon development that used to happen alongside medieval roads. There were other similar suburbs outside most of the city's major gates - not much remains apart from thoe fragments in Spon End.

There's definitely some potential here - medieval & 19th century topshops? The place is a real mess though. I used to live in Stoke, and I'm amazed at how bad the street has got.
 
#8 ·
The top shops are all to be restored and there will be grants and support made available to current occupiers to replace the modern shop fronts with more traditional ones in keeping with a Conservation Area. If they don't play ball, the plan is to force their hand with CPOs.

You will notice a gap between the Hand & Heart and the timber framed buildings next to them. As I understand it, the building that was demolished was not listed (hence why it was relatively easy to demolish) although the plan is to replace it with something in keeping with the street line and roof level. I believe the reason for its demolition was to enable the timber framed building to be exposed so the wooden beams can be restored. Also, probably to enable better access to the rear of the site, which is where they plan the residential development. I don't suppose that particular element will transpire for some time!
 
#7 ·
The white 'corner' building occupied by Bytes PCs is the site where they propose to demolish the building and install a timber framed building, more in keeping with the buildings along that particular stretch.

Personally I think that's a great idea. The existing building has no architectural merit and IMHO a modern glass/steel building would just look wrong.
 
#11 ·
The white 'corner' building occupied by Bytes PCs is the site where they propose to demolish the building and install a timber framed building, more in keeping with the buildings along that particular stretch.

Personally I think that's a great idea. The existing building has no architectural merit and IMHO a modern glass/steel building would just look wrong.
I can't think of anything lacking architectural merit more than a mock tudor timber frame building.
 
#10 ·
The plans for the residential development behind the Hand & Heart were submitted years ago. The Hand & Heart itself has been closed for about 6 years, I am sure the residential plans it were seeking permission to have it demolished.

While I think a lot of the stuff on Gosford St is rubbish, if the Council decide to serve CPOs on all those shops who don't comply, what will happen to the empty units? Will the Council pay to have the shop fronts replaced or wait for new tenants to do it?

I don't share your views on steel glass - there are great examples all over the country of steel and glass fitting with different period architecture.
 
#12 ·
The plans for the residential development behind the Hand & Heart were submitted years ago. The Hand & Heart itself has been closed for about 6 years, I am sure the residential plans it were seeking permission to have it demolished.
The plans were on the planning portal, and involved squeezing houses in the land behind the H&H. The H&H was going to be converted into student flats, I believe - which is a shame, as the place used to be a decent music venue years back.

While I think a lot of the stuff on Gosford St is rubbish, if the Council decide to serve CPOs on all those shops who don't comply, what will happen to the empty units? Will the Council pay to have the shop fronts replaced or wait for new tenants to do it?
I doubt there's much demand for retail in FGS, given the empty new unit and the other empty stores, some of which have been empty since the 1980s - I certainly think it's a waste of public money to install a lot of new frames and frontages for what amounts to cheap fast food joints, sex shops, and second hand stores. In the same way I thought it was a waste of money to lay new paving on Spon Street when the street doesn't really have the businesses that deserve it.

I think this is all a bit of a pipe dream, to be honest. Whilst I'd love it to become a "camden town" style cosmopolitan place, I doubt very much it's the right place for it. The Butts has more chance of being like that. Although personally I don't think Coventry is really the sort of town where that stuff will happen.

The best you'd get on FGS is a cheap supermarket, some social housing and offices for the Cyrenians and more branches of Subway.

I don't share your views on steel glass - there are great examples all over the country of steel and glass fitting with different period architecture.
I agree. The problem is that people always use the crap done in the 1960s as an example - that stuff was done cheaply and often very quickly.
 
#16 ·
i sometimes struggle to understand the mentality of some people.

we all agree that FGS is a mess. the idea that money should not be spent because the place is full of downmarket shops and fast food outlets doesn't make sense to me. the reason that it is full of these places is precisely because it is such a mess - and unless the improvements are made that will never change.

build it and they will come? maybe, but it has to be worth it surely? i don't recall ever hearing that large amounts of taxpayers money will be ploughed into this, and even if it was i wouldn't object in the slightest.

it seems to me that some regard FGS as a lost cause, and i find this deeply disheartening, especially in a forum such as this. we might as well just give up. from what i can tell, the proposals seem well thought out and realistic; and the people behind them have a pretty damn good track record in this city in my opinion.

to complain about coventry and what its lacking, but then to pour scorn on proposals to improve matters is pretty pointless.

FGS needs a coherent development plan - to not do that and to just allow random, piecemeal developments that do not follow a defined set of parameters would be silly and would not improve matters in the slightest.

i'm fully behind these proposals, everything i've been told of them seems to make sense. i very much hope they happen.
 
#17 ·
i sometimes struggle to understand the mentality of some people.

we all agree that FGS is a mess. the idea that money should not be spent because the place is full of downmarket shops and fast food outlets doesn't make sense to me. the reason that it is full of these places is precisely because it is such a mess - and unless the improvements are made that will never change.
No, the reason it's full of these places is because that's what the people who live in that area want.

build it and they will come? maybe, but it has to be worth it surely? i don't recall ever hearing that large amounts of taxpayers money will be ploughed into this, and even if it was i wouldn't object in the slightest.
Stig has already said the council will have grants to redo all the frontages - that's taxpayer's money.

it seems to me that some regard FGS as a lost cause, and i find this deeply disheartening, especially in a forum such as this. we might as well just give up. from what i can tell, the proposals seem well thought out and realistic; and the people behind them have a pretty damn good track record in this city in my opinion.
I don't think it's a "lost cause", but remember the street being done up on at least one occasion in the past. Throwing money at places just isn't the answer if it's going to slide back to where it was beforehand.

to complain about coventry and what its lacking, but then to pour scorn on proposals to improve matters is pretty pointless.
I haven't poured scorn on the proposals, as I haven't seen them. I am just of the opinion that the area needs far more than a bit of tarting up in order for it to work.

FGS needs a coherent development plan - to not do that and to just allow random, piecemeal developments that do not follow a defined set of parameters would be silly and would not improve matters in the slightest.
The area needs a change of population if they're going to turn it into a "Camden Town" type of place. It doesn't matter how much we want the area to become like this, or how much the council want it or how much this Ian Harrabin chap wants it - if there's no demand for it, it won't happen. We'll just end up with some junk food stores with nice frontages.

i'm fully behind these proposals, everything i've been told of them seems to make sense. i very much hope they happen.
I've not seen them yet.
 
#27 · (Edited)
Right guys, I've just tried to paste some elevations and plans for some of the schemes taking place / planned for FGS which I've found on the Planning Portal. I failed miserably. So the next best thing I can do is give you the link to the Planning Portal and the reference numbers:-

http://planning.coventry.gov.uk/portal/

1. Refs R/2006/2384 and R/2007/1349. These are the proposals for the 'Scala' Offices, which is the site next to the Italian restaurant and on part of the current car park.

2. Refs R/2005/0265 and R/2007/2568. These are the proposals for the restoration of Nos 120-124 FGS (the timber framed buildings) and the development of the site to the rear.

3. Ref R/2006/2426. This is the Hand & Heart Pub site.

4. Refs R/2008/0580 and R/2008/0581. These are the plans to restore Nos 38-41 FGS. Interestingly, the application seems to be made by an individual, as opposed to a company.

A lot of the other plans haven't reached formal application stage yet, so the above links are the best we have at present.

I'd be interested to hear your views on the plans so far!
 
#30 ·
I can only hope you're wrong Fernando!

The works to 120-124 FGS are already underway, although granted - the residential scheme proposed for the site to the rear won't be going ahead any time soon.

As for the Scala Offices development, Ian Harrabin indicated that the scheme would commence in the next 3-6 months. We'll see...
 
#34 ·
The path along the Sherbourne River between Far Gosford Street and Gulson Road has FINALLY been opened.

The river's actually wider than I thought it'd be, and a lot cleaner. You can actually see the bottom (although it isn't very deep)

It makes a nice addition to the area, in my opinion. Fair play to the Charterhouse Residents Association for putting forward the proposal that Unite Housing put some s106 funds into opening up and improving that stretch of the Sherbourne.
 
#43 ·
I wandered down there for a look at this a few months back as I have been following it - it looks good, but I'm not sure it's in the best area - it'd be nice if they could redevelop the Victorian area around Holyhead Road... Although hopefully QCA will be help bring it up.

This building was originally supposed to be moved as part of the Spon End development, but for some reason never happened. It was used as some brothers, I think, who owned a small car factory (Dover Brothers?) in the early 20th century...
 
#44 ·
Yes I think Black Swan Terrace looks brilliant, but it's in a very quiet area with hardly any footfall, as with so many areas in Cov.

I walked up Far Gosford Street today.. I'm not sure if the traffic improvements are a good idea. I think that the one-way system has removed the street's 'authority' as an entrance to the city, while also reducing the number of people milling around.

Compare FGS with Ball Hill / Walsgrave Road a little further up, for instance - you'll see that although Walsgrave Road is arguably struggling to cope with the traffic, it does have several shops that seem to be thriving on the passing trade. I mean, there are about four cafes for starters..

I'm curious to see what plans the council may have in mind for Far Gosford St. Are there any renders or anything of what the buildings might look like post-restoration?
 
#45 ·
Ball Hill is fine. I commute through there every day and it's slow, but moves along quick enough. And sometimes I do stop off for a newspaper on the way to work. There's always a lot of people parked up.

We lived on Ball Hill for four years, and it really has declined though, although Tesco is a good addition - a lot of the stores have gone and replaced by more food oriented businesses or just empty. They built a weird mall at the end.

We used to go to the Chinese restaurant quite a lot. Other attempts at Thai and upmarket delis have all failed, and a nice pizza place was soon selling "Krunchy Fried Chicken."

I can't get excited about Far Gosford Street - it's a great street, but the area isn't great, which is why I think it'll just decline again.
 
#46 ·
The developer behind the Far Gosford Street scheme did make it clear from the very start of his presentation that the proposals aren't just about restoring historic buildings - it's very much about ensuring the street is viable to safeguard its success now and in future. Hence the proposals include offices and housing as well as retail to ensure it is in use 24/7.

Once this scheme gets off the ground, I think it'll be one to surprise us all and set the standard for future developments.
 
#47 · (Edited)
The ONLY way to ensure the street is viable is to get businesses and retailers to take on the units. Until then, it's a pipe dream.

Have they got anyone signed up for any of the units on this scheme?

If they can do anything to Skyblue Way I will be impressed! It's such a terrible entrance into the city centre. It's hard to believe someone actually planned that.
 
#52 ·
You'd have to say that Far Gosford Street has some potential as it contains some interesting terraces, but considering the truly delapidated state of some of the buildings there, it would cost a fortune to renovate many of these, and for what return ? The only people using these outlets are very local and would attract few others.

The area has a few parallels with Clifton high street in Bristol, though Clifton is considered as a slightly out-of-town Bohemia, which FGS ain't.
 
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