Coventry University - Proposed Master Plan & Current Developments

[NewTroll]

Originally Posted by U475 Foxtrot

From what I've been told, if anyone should take any credit for it being in Coventry then it's Benfield Construction. They were one of the main drivers for it being here.

Do you know why they chose Coventry? It's hardly known for its building industry!

Doh! To answer my own question: Benfield are a Coventry based firm!

[U475 Foxtrot]

It really could have gone anywhere. The photo's don't do it justice but here's a few of the simulation hall. I was unconvinced by how immersive it would be until I experienced it. After a couple of minutes you completely forget that your not on a real construction site.

[U475 Foxtrot]

[Dr Pepper]

This view should change a bit over the next year.




A peek through the fence. Looks like site prep work as staff cars were still in the car park.

[We-Are-Borg-1987]

I'm glad theres movement on the site but I'm not sure about the design. Hopefully when its finished it will look good but the design reminds me too much of the surrounding buildings-which I dont think are worth emulating!

[skybluecity]

Originally Posted by We-Are-Borg-1987

I'm glad theres movement on the site but I'm not sure about the design. Hopefully when its finished it will look good but the design reminds me too much of the surrounding buildings-which I dont think are worth emulating!

Agreed. From what I've seen it doesn't look good at all. Will make for a more complete street scene, but the building itself looks awful. I hope I am wrong.

[stig1982]

Have you all heard the University wants to demolish the Hope & Anchor on Whitefriars Street?

Disgraceful. It is a perfectly good building and could easily be adopted for re-use. There is space at the rear for extension as well. No doubt if it is demolished we'll see a derelict site laying dormant for years before anything new gets built, and if something new is built no doubt it will be a large block style building which is totally out of keeping with Whitefriars Gate directly opposite and the listed former Odeon cinema at the other end.

The Coventry Development Plan clearly shows Whitefriars Street and Whitefriars Lane as being earmarked for residential use and, quote, "should relate well to Whitefriars Gate". How can the planners reconcile the University's plan to replace this with, presumably, educational facilities? Makes you wonder why they have planning guidance and policy in the first place if it isn't even adhered to.

The Hope and Anchor was a great venue for live music over the years and bands like Selecta and The Enemy started out there. Demolition would be a great loss to the city.

[Fernando Partridge]

Originally Posted by stig1982

The Hope and Anchor was a great venue for live music over the years and bands like Selecta and The Enemy started out there. Demolition would be a great loss to the city.

The City clearly doesn't want the Hope anymore. It's absolutely dead and in a dead end street, the building is OK but it isn't viable as a pub anymore imo. More Ring Road strangulation.

[NewTroll]

Originally Posted by Fernando Partridge

The City clearly doesn't want the Hope anymore. It's absolutely dead and in a dead end street, the building is OK but it isn't viable as a pub anymore imo. More Ring Road strangulation.

That whole area is a complete mess - a mish-mash of totally different styles, some open space, some old scraps of land and a collection of cheap buildings stuffed away around the corner... As you say, it's stuck down a dead end in the shadow of the ringroad...

[CovAD]

Originally Posted by stig1982

Have you all heard the University wants to demolish the Hope & Anchor on Whitefriars Street?

Disgraceful. It is a perfectly good building and could easily be adopted for re-use. There is space at the rear for extension as well. No doubt if it is demolished we'll see a derelict site laying dormant for years before anything new gets built, and if something new is built no doubt it will be a large block style building which is totally out of keeping with Whitefriars Gate directly opposite and the listed former Odeon cinema at the other end.

The Coventry Development Plan clearly shows Whitefriars Street and Whitefriars Lane as being earmarked for residential use and, quote, "should relate well to Whitefriars Gate". How can the planners reconcile the University's plan to replace this with, presumably, educational facilities? Makes you wonder why they have planning guidance and policy in the first place if it isn't even adhered to.

The Hope and Anchor was a great venue for live music over the years and bands like Selecta and The Enemy started out there. Demolition would be a great loss to the city.

While it's a shame I really don't see any particular reason to keep the structure itself. Some bands started out there maybe, but that can easily be commemorated with a plaque. It wasn't designed to be sympathetic with the gate itself either and is a reasonable distance away. ST is a lot nearer and will have a much greater impact.

It possibly could be renovated to become flats, with the beer garden built over to provide more rooms, but it would need a lot of conversion work and with only two stories wouldn't provide a lot of rooms or raise the height of the city centre like planned.

On balance I think demolition is acceptable, provided the site is re-used quickly and the residences are built to a decent standard.

[Fernando Partridge]

Originally Posted by CovAD

While it's a shame I really don't see any particular reason to keep the structure itself. Some bands started out there maybe, but that can easily be commemorated with a plaque. It wasn't designed to be sympathetic with the gate itself either and is a reasonable distance away. ST is a lot nearer and will have a much greater impact.

It possibly could be renovated to become flats, with the beer garden built over to provide more rooms, but it would need a lot of conversion work and with only two stories wouldn't provide a lot of rooms or raise the height of the city centre like planned.

On balance I think demolition is acceptable, provided the site is re-used quickly and the residences are built to a decent standard.

Demolition would be more acceptable if they actually got rid of that and the buildings around it, i.e. the Cov Boys Club and the former Builders Club / Cov WMC. Otherwise I suspect that small spot of land isn't really viable for much.

[NewTroll]

Originally Posted by CovAD

While it's a shame I really don't see any particular reason to keep the structure itself. Some bands started out there maybe, but that can easily be commemorated with a plaque. It wasn't designed to be sympathetic with the gate itself either and is a reasonable distance away. ST is a lot nearer and will have a much greater impact.

It possibly could be renovated to become flats, with the beer garden built over to provide more rooms, but it would need a lot of conversion work and with only two stories wouldn't provide a lot of rooms or raise the height of the city centre like planned.

On balance I think demolition is acceptable, provided the site is re-used
quickly and the residences are built to a decent standard.

Here's an article about it:

http://www.coventrytelegraph.net/new...2746-24985133/

[We-Are-Borg-1987]

The uni will probably replace it with an eyesore I fear. Does anyone know when the uni will demolish Priory Hall? I heard it was going within 5-10 years, but apparently that has been the rumour for ages and ages!!!

[NewTroll]

Originally Posted by We-Are-Borg-1987

The uni will probably replace it with an eyesore I fear. Does anyone know when the uni will demolish Priory Hall? I heard it was going within 5-10 years, but apparently that has been the rumour for ages and ages!!!

There were rumours about that 20 years ago! I remember when D-Block (Long building on Cox Street) was closed down to be surveyed as it was sagging in the middle and had a big crack running down it! And a year before I started, one of the buildings had a load of work on it - I heard rumours that it's facade collapsed!

[We-Are-Borg-1987]

Lol, the legend continues! I moved out of Priory in June last year and they had just replaced the heating system, so if they are going to go to that expense on it we may not have seen the last of Priory Hall yet! Although if it was owned by the public sector fitting a new boiler would surely be a sign of its imminent demise, lol!

When (If???) Priory goes they really could make a feature of the area between Priory and the Hotel. Ideally that horrible hotel would go too! When I lived there a few homeless people used to live on the external balconies on the hotel, I guess it was a good spot for them.

The Priory site is so massive it could be great, especially considering the old S.U. (or should I say current S.U. building) will give them alot of land to play with-I just hope they don't screw it up! Does anyone know what will replace the current S.U. building? I'm guessing its going in 2011 (when the new building opens).

[CovAD]

Originally Posted by NewTroll

Here's an article about it:

http://www.coventrytelegraph.net/new...2746-24985133/

The way some of them talk about you'd think it was the Cavern Club! They seem to be ignoring one small fact though - the place really wasn't getting any trade. It's all very well and good saying it should be kept but it'll just run into the same problems a year down the line and we'll be back where we started.

Unless it's truly historic or important we can't save every and anything on a whim just because one or two people have a few memories. Economic considerations have to be taken into account and on that basis this is dead in the water.

If it was a thriving pub it'd still be open and this conversation wouldn't even need to be considered. There are other bars nearby like the Campbell/Oak which just kill it.

I assume the adjoining land will be swallowed up by the uni at some point and the WMC and stuff will go too.

[Dr Pepper]

Not sure what's going on here. Any guesses?

[NewTroll]

It might be an archaeological dig before the development commences.

[CovAD]

I'd suggest archaeological too

[sjs239]

bomb search lol