Councillors are to commit nearly £1million more of council taxpayers’ money to redeveloping the Upper Precinct after national watchdog Heritage England’s controversial listings for some of its buildings.
They say it’s due to a £1million reduction in what developers are prepared to invest in the project.
Whether listings – usually considered onerous by developers – were a factor, it’s said the developers were allegedly reacting to the fall in interest for town centres among retailers.
The extra public investment is not without risk.
The heritage-minded community group The Coventry Society’s Keith Draper argues it’s time to re-think the wider city centre redevelopment ambitions towards organic growth of local stores and other activities, away from disproportionately seeking to attract multi-national retailers.
It’s certainly worth debate.
