Official Coventry Thread 6

[woodhousen]

as you were....

[inspired]

Thanks Woody

Can someone just do an update of developments in planning/development in Cov please.

[inspired]

oh dear
http://www.coventrytelegraph.net/new...2746-32009003/

[NewTroll]

Originally Posted by inspired

oh dear
http://www.coventrytelegraph.net/new...2746-32009003/

Not good news. Once one of the newest and finest hotels in the UK, now marooned in a dreary retail plaza.

The ballroom inside this building used to be a famous local venue for music.

What do people think: another sign of the decline in the area within the ringroad?

[DBadger]

They're moving out of Fort Dunlop and Wolverhampton too, a sign of decline in their company rather than on Coventry itself.

[NewTroll]

Originally Posted by DBadger

They're moving out of Fort Dunlop and Wolverhampton too, a sign of decline in their company rather than on Coventry itself.

Of course, but this hotel should be a 'prime' city centre hotel - as it once was, with some excellent facilities that were widely used locally. Instead it declined to the point of being a budget hotel and now even they want to dispose of it.

Not that it matters, as Premier Inn at Belgrade Plaza and Ramada and other hotels outside the ring road seem to be thriving.

I wouldn't be surprised if it gets bought up and turned into a student hall.

[CovAD]

Originally Posted by NewTroll

Of course, but this hotel should be a 'prime' city centre hotel - as it once was, with some excellent facilities that were widely used locally. Instead it declined to the point of being a budget hotel and now even they want to dispose of it.

Not that it matters, as Premier Inn at Belgrade Plaza and Ramada and other hotels outside the ring road seem to be thriving.

I wouldn't be surprised if it gets bought up and turned into a student hall.

Indeed it should be a prime hotel for the city, but it isn't. It's hardly got a grand entrance (I didn't even know there was a hotel there until i was 19 and there was a Xmas party there), and the entrance for a car would be round the back which would be even worse. The 1960's style design isn't exactly going to sell it that well either, and I'm not sure how much people want a view of Cathedral Lanes.

Still, could be worse. it could be the Brittania.

The ramada is a strange one, as having worked and had family in that area for many years it's not somewhere I think I'd want to stay, but I guess it is very visible and has it's own parking. I'm guessing they do conferences there as well.

I wonder how the new Premier Inn in Earlsdon Park will affect it's trade or if there's sufficient demand for both?

[NewTroll]

Originally Posted by CovAD

Indeed it should be a prime hotel for the city, but it isn't. It's hardly got a grand entrance (I didn't even know there was a hotel there until i was 19 and there was a Xmas party there), and the entrance for a car would be round the back which would be even worse. The 1960's style design isn't exactly going to sell it that well either, and I'm not sure how much people want a view of Cathedral Lanes.

Still, could be worse. it could be the Brittania.

The ramada is a strange one, as having worked and had family in that area for many years it's not somewhere I think I'd want to stay, but I guess it is very visible and has it's own parking. I'm guessing they do conferences there as well.

I wonder how the new Premier Inn in Earlsdon Park will affect it's trade or if there's sufficient demand for both?

I think the view of Cathedral Lanes is irrelevent - I've stopped at many city centre hotels with worse views! It's been years since I've been inside, but the Leofric had a decent hall that would make a good music venue. But yeah, I agree, it's 1960s style and cramped feeling (I went to a conference there years ago) don't help. But I think it's a fairly good indication that Coventry's facilities are really not suitable anymore and this post-war complex of precincts and hotels and offices has not worked.

I guess hotels have to be in places where people want to go and stay, and near to things that people want to use that require an overnight - whether that's tourism (Ho ho) or just businesses use for companies or conferences or using facilities. I can't imagine there much demand for any of that in the centre of Cov.

I don't imagine the poor access helps - where on Earth would you park? Does it have a car park? I think the Premier Inn in the Butts is doing OK.

Do you think Coventry city centre needs a good conference venue? The Ramada doesn't do them, and it's also sitting next to that half demolished car park! Very odd, yet if you try to get a room there it's always fully booked. The area around there is pretty dumpy, but it's _busy_. I had a meal down there the other Saturday and I was amazed at how busy it was round there.

Britannia. That is shithole. I walked past it the other day. Fairfax Street is thoroughly depressing and really typical of the terrible mess that Coventry is in.

[skybluecity]

Originally Posted by inspired

Thanks Woody

Can someone just do an update of developments in planning/development in Cov please.

I'll knock something up tomorrow. Shouldn't take long

[NewTroll]

Originally Posted by skybluecity

I'll knock something up tomorrow. Shouldn't take long

I wonder when Bishopgate will start?

Did they get outline or full permission?

[skybluecity]

I've been thinking of setting up the SCORE website again. Is it worth it? It would probably take me a day of work to set up, and I would probably put a few google ads on their to cover the costs if nobody had any objections.

I could give everyone on here admin rights and if people are prepared to help contribute once in a while then it might be a goer?

[Sebadude]

Some interesting opinions on Coventry from a TV historian:
http://www.coventrytelegraph.net/new...2746-32004773/

[Sebadude]

Incidentally, I think that while some businesses have left the city by choice (Monsoon?) it's worth factoring in how many units have emptied due to mergers/liquidation. Off the top of my head:

Woolworths, Zavvi, TJ Hughes liquidation
Waterstones takeover of Ottakars, leaving multiple units, one of which had to close
JD Sports takes over First Sport - same as above
JJB Sports closes several stores to avoid liquidation
Dogma's owner (ever so sensible) closes most of its Dogma branches
Gamestation/Game financial problems, one branch has to close

even at a smaller level, Ben's Cookies has pulled out of the area completely, they've shut their Leamington branch as well as the Coventry one.

Makes you realise how big the recession is really!

[NewTroll]

Originally Posted by Sebadude

Some interesting opinions on Coventry from a TV historian:
http://www.coventrytelegraph.net/new...2746-32004773/

I think the City (Council?) are well aware that the heritage (I think they did a report years ago about how to utilise it better) - the problem has always been that it's dotted around and much of it has been hidden away or left stranded. But some of it is still in active use (Ford's Hospital, The Guild Hall, Cheylesmore Manor)

The whole Phoenix initiative was an attempt to link the Cathedral Area with the 'City Wall' area.

Unfortunately, I think it's just saddled us with more dreary back-to-front plazas that no one ever uses.

It's a difficult one to solve... Not helped that things are stranded in dead ends or behind the other buildings, or in strange gardens that no one visits.

A more joined up city centre (With roads, not more plazas) is, IMHO, the only way to go to bring some of these buildings back into use - as building fronting streets with people on them.

All IMHO!

[Sebadude]

I noticed something surprising the other week. I was reading a book at my parents dating from the late 1800s-early 1900s, featuring 20 or so old engravings from medieval Coventry. I was staggered to see that a good 17-18 of the buildings shown are still here, despite the bombing and redevelopment!

[Typhoon2000]

what gets me is why they culverted a river through nearly the whole damn town!... Get a town with a river and you can certainly build up a desirable area around it (although good quality flow control or flood defence is needed).

[NewTroll]

Originally Posted by Typhoon2000

what gets me is why they culverted a river through nearly the whole damn town!... Get a town with a river and you can certainly build up a desirable area around it (although good quality flow control or flood defence is needed).

Umm, have you seen it? It's a stream. You could probably jump across it. It is not unusual to culvert rivers underneath cities. It's not really big enough to make into a feature or be useful, in my view, and would probably cause more hassle than it's worth. It floes under Ikea, I think. There's another culverted stream elsewhere as well that join up with it.

The river only starts in Allesley, and has dried up completely in and around its source on a few occasions.

[Typhoon2000]

Ah.. I actually did see it... when it was flooding the backyard by KFC.. I thought it was more significant than that...

There's some pretty interesting features down here that could have been used though:

image hosted on flickr

Author - The Vicar: 28 Days Later/Flickr

image hosted on flickr

Author - The Vicar: 28 Days Later/Flickr

image hosted on flickr

Author - The Vicar: 28 Days Later/Flickr

I dunno, I reckon it could have had some potential.

[NewTroll]

I remember when that stretch by Gulson hospital was full of pollution!

I think they left some old bridges and just built over them.

I think the river is so small it would be dwarfed by everything and just look a bit... Naff. Like a little trickle.

There's a river under Nuneaton as well - the Anker - and I'm sure there's one under Birmingham as well.

Maybe as part of that Phoenix Initiative they could have done something with it... They did have plans to redevelop that area. Behind Hales street.

You you used to be able to see it at the back of an arcade called 'shambles arcade'

[TJF]

There's been a lot talk abour 'raising the river Rea' in some areas of Birmingham city centre.



The Sherbourne is mighty by comparison!