coventry developments (revised)

skybluecity · March 15th, 2006, 10:44 AM

thought i'd start a new thread as many of the images in old thread had expired and it had gone a bit off topic!

forthcoming developments:

the belgrade plaza:

park court (next to coventry station)

apartments on st patricks road

development on upper york st:

development at the butts (images are poor quality and dont really do it justice - worth checking out council site to view brochure)

development on london road on ringroad roundabout (image not the best, but gives you an idea)

development of flats on lower ford st just outside ring-road

the massive swanswell development

the new city centre ikea (poor image)

lots of other stuff happening but no images im afraid.

***woodhousen*** · March 15th, 2006, 11:03 AM

nice to finally see tham all in one place, and good to see cov building up as well....newcastkle doesnt have anything as tall as these proposals in planning....

Biosonic · March 15th, 2006, 11:05 AM

I love the long straight boulevard terminating in the square in Swanswell. What a fantastic feature

skybluecity · March 15th, 2006, 11:09 AM

there is still some debate as to whether the boulevard will happen i think. it would mean flattening a section of the ring-road and some would argue it would cause major disruption for years and would effect traffic flow. personally i would love it to happen.

inspired · March 15th, 2006, 10:20 PM

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

inspired · March 15th, 2006, 10:26 PM

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

foolsgold · March 15th, 2006, 11:36 PM

Good stuff skyluecity. Not seen those Park Court pictures before - has it gone in for planning yet? Not sure I'm hugely impressed but anything would be an improvement on what was there before. I disagree with inspired about needing unique stuff, I reckon a few fairly dull (though good quality) developments are exactly what we need. There's plenty that's unique about coventry but we haven't always managed to be good at the things that other cities take for granted. If we try to run before we can walk we'll go wrong and end up building something really silly like an elephant-shaped sports centre or something

Incidentally how long can it take the council to decide whether to lower the ring road or not? Hasn't this been going on for about 3 years and 2 administrations? Whatever happens to the ringroad, however, the area around Swanswell pool will clearly be so much better and a real asset to the city. Can't wait to see the project start to get off the ground.

skybluecity · March 16th, 2006, 10:31 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, 07:22 PM

More Belgrade Plaza.

Looking good I think.

Dr Pepper · March 18th, 2006, 12:03 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, 12:58 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, 07:16 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, 02:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dr Pepper

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

That's a new one on me.
I like the words "mixed development". Park Court, Belgrade Plaza, etc.

Godiva Place is where "Ultraseal" are currently based - an incredibly ugly building next to the ringroad. This should fit in well there, as it's not City Centre proper.

Great thread.

rottersclub · March 21st, 2006, 02:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by inspired

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, 12:12 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.

rottersclub · March 22nd, 2006, 12:13 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, 12:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MartinN

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, 05:23 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.

rottersclub · March 22nd, 2006, 06:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by skybluecity

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, 06:56 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.

March 15th, 2006, 10:44 AM	#1
skybluecity Registered User Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Coventry & Mallorca Posts: 650 Likes (Received): 0	coventry developments (revised) thought i'd start a new thread as many of the images in old thread had expired and it had gone a bit off topic! forthcoming developments: the belgrade plaza: park court (next to coventry station) apartments on st patricks road development on upper york st: development at the butts (images are poor quality and dont really do it justice - worth checking out council site to view brochure) development on london road on ringroad roundabout (image not the best, but gives you an idea) development of flats on lower ford st just outside ring-road the massive swanswell development the new city centre ikea (poor image) lots of other stuff happening but no images im afraid.

March 15th, 2006, 11:03 AM	#2
*woodhousen* Moderator Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Leeds/Birmingham, UK Posts: 10,842 Likes (Received): 2	nice to finally see tham all in one place, and good to see cov building up as well....newcastkle doesnt have anything as tall as these proposals in planning.... __________________ Simply BIRMINGHAM

March 15th, 2006, 11:05 AM	#3
Biosonic Second Citizen Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Birmingham Posts: 14,320 Likes (Received): 2	I love the long straight boulevard terminating in the square in Swanswell. What a fantastic feature __________________ Birmingham.Brilliance

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode

March 15th, 2006, 11:09 AM	#4
skybluecity Registered User Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Coventry & Mallorca Posts: 650 Likes (Received): 0	there is still some debate as to whether the boulevard will happen i think. it would mean flattening a section of the ring-road and some would argue it would cause major disruption for years and would effect traffic flow. personally i would love it to happen.

March 15th, 2006, 10:20 PM	#5
inspired Registered User Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 457 Likes (Received): 0	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

March 15th, 2006, 10:26 PM	#6
inspired Registered User Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 457 Likes (Received): 0	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

March 15th, 2006, 11:36 PM	#7
foolsgold Registered User Join Date: Feb 2006 Posts: 34 Likes (Received): 0	Good stuff skyluecity. Not seen those Park Court pictures before - has it gone in for planning yet? Not sure I'm hugely impressed but anything would be an improvement on what was there before. I disagree with inspired about needing unique stuff, I reckon a few fairly dull (though good quality) developments are exactly what we need. There's plenty that's unique about coventry but we haven't always managed to be good at the things that other cities take for granted. If we try to run before we can walk we'll go wrong and end up building something really silly like an elephant-shaped sports centre or something Incidentally how long can it take the council to decide whether to lower the ring road or not? Hasn't this been going on for about 3 years and 2 administrations? Whatever happens to the ringroad, however, the area around Swanswell pool will clearly be so much better and a real asset to the city. Can't wait to see the project start to get off the ground.

March 16th, 2006, 10:31 AM	#8
skybluecity Registered User Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Coventry & Mallorca Posts: 650 Likes (Received): 0	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.

March 17th, 2006, 07:22 PM	#9
foolsgold Registered User Join Date: Feb 2006 Posts: 34 Likes (Received): 0	More Belgrade Plaza. Looking good I think.

March 18th, 2006, 12:03 AM	#10
Dr Pepper Registered User Join Date: Feb 2006 Posts: 1,739 Likes (Received): 2	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

March 18th, 2006, 12:58 AM	#11
foolsgold Registered User Join Date: Feb 2006 Posts: 34 Likes (Received): 0	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.

March 18th, 2006, 07:16 PM	#12
inspired Registered User Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 457 Likes (Received): 0	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.

March 22nd, 2006, 12:12 AM	#15
rottersclub Registered User Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Coventry, Warwickshire Posts: 3,688 Likes (Received): 0	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.

March 22nd, 2006, 12:13 AM	#16
rottersclub Registered User Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Coventry, Warwickshire Posts: 3,688 Likes (Received): 0	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!).

March 22nd, 2006, 05:23 PM	#18
skybluecity Registered User Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Coventry & Mallorca Posts: 650 Likes (Received): 0	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.

March 22nd, 2006, 06:56 PM	#20
rottersclub Registered User Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Coventry, Warwickshire Posts: 3,688 Likes (Received): 0	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.