Below is the latest image of the new extension of the Herbert Art Gallery, and very nice it is too! To the rear of this new building Coventry University plan to build a new IT centre - planning permission for which was granted at the same time at the Herbert extension. Work should start on this building in the summer.

Phase 2a is now well underway as you can see from these pictures. The resubmitted proposals for phase 2b have been recommended for approval by the planning committee and work should start in the summer. Changes to phase 2b include the removal of the balconies from the Radisson Edwardian hotel (which will now be 2 storeys higher), expanded conference facilities and an extra restaurant unit. A render of the redesigned Radisson Edwardian hotel is also shown below.

Apologies for the recent lack of activity.  There will be a complete update of the current/proposed developments section and a number of news and picture updates posted in the next week or so.  Thanks for your patience.

The application for the Severn Trent HQ has been submitted, and can be seen on the City Council’s planning portal (http://planning.coventry.gov.uk/portal/servlets/ApplicationSearchServlet?PKID=684958). This is a large building that will dominate the area. Here is the view from the ringroad.

 

Here are the East Elevations:

This is the first office development to happen in Coventry since AXA was built in the 1980s. I suggest anyone who supports the regeneration of Coventry wholeheartedly support this application!

In 2004 permission was granted for a six storey office block on New Union Street, just next to the multi storey car park. The section of land is triangular in shape, with awkward road access, so the developers came up with a unique solution to the road access by proposing car lifts to the basement car park and the corner of the building was where the staircases are located! According to the council’s website, there are discussions ongoing to increase the height of the building to add more office space.

The original plan has the lower floors being used for financial services/professional businesses, and the upper floors as offices.

It would be nice to see more developments like this around the ringroad, utilising the dead land that the ringroad seems to have created.  As this is a stone’s throw away from the Severn Trent HQ, the view from the ringroad would be much improved and more people in the city centre can only be a good thing.

Removing the surface level car parks and building them up seems to be a sensible way forward and brings land back into use and helps create a “proper” city atmosphere.

 

This is the planned student halls on the junction of Manor Lane and Park Lane, next to the station.  Already objections have been lodged by local residents due to parking issues and the size of the building. However, on a corner such as this, the landmark aspect looks very fitting and the interesting curved edges are a decent feature.

 Cannon Kirk, who are planning the massive Friargate Development, have also lodged an objection due to the quality of the building and the way it fits in with its surroundings. Reading the objection, it seems the developers have been asked to liaise with Farrells, the masterplanners of Friargate.

 Another objection has been lodged as some residents would prefer a mixed development.

This image is a hint of what the new Severn Trent HQ building will look like. It’s designed by Birmingham based Associated Architects, and the development is being built by Stoford, another Birmingham based firm. The land it will occupy is currently a surface level car park and a council building, which will be demolished. The Greyhound pub is not going to be demolished. The only other recent large employment development in the city was the AXA building in the 1980s.

 

These are the first images of the proposed new 6 storey building to be built on the site of the former Theatre One cinema on Ford Street.  GKP Developments submitted an outline planning application to Coventry City Council in November.  The new building will comprise of 55 student apartments.

New construction images for City College and Herbert Art Gallery have been added to the ‘Current Developments’ section of this site.

Source: www.bbc.co.uk/coventry

A government education body with more than 500 staff is heading to a £110m development in Coventry.

The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) is to move its London headquarters to the site of the former City College at The Butts in 2009.

QCA chief executive Ken Boston said the move would bring new jobs to the city.

MCD Developments has begun work on the site which will feature more than 500 apartments, bars, commercial space and leisure facilities.

Coventry City Council said it “lobbied hard” to win the relocation of the QCA to the city. The education body oversees the national curriculum and accredits qualifications.

‘Neo-classical building’

Mr Boston said: “While we expect that some of our current London staff will move with us to Coventry, there will be significant opportunities to recruit staff locally

“When considering the benefits of moving our offices from central London, QCA undertook a full evaluation on a number of cities in England.”

The council said as part of the development, MCD is restoring the former neo-classical college building, which dates from 1935.

The Butts Theatre is also being restored and a piazza is being created which could lead to outside performances being staged.