Consultation to close on gas works site redevelopment - The Coventry Observer

Consultation to close on gas works site redevelopment

Coventry Editorial 19th Dec, 2019   0

A PLANNING consultation closes this week on a £100 million housing development in Coventry.

The site of the former National Grid offices to the north of the city centre is lined up for 700 new flats.

The West Midlands Combined Authority loaned Complex Development Projects (CDP) – the company behind Fargo Village, Electric Wharf and the Telegraph 1950s retro hotel project – £960,000 to buy the 5.5 acre site from the National Grid in 2017.

This year, CDP applied to build seven blocks of flats, in a landscaped area though which it said the Radford Brook would once again flow.




Ian Harrabin, 59, managing director of CDP, said: “This is a very large site and provides an opportunity to develop a new district outside the collar of the ring road. Coventry city centre is really on the up but the ring road remains a barrier for local community access.

“Most other major city centres in the UK have seen a renaissance led by new urban communities which have revitalised shops and restaurants and brought in more offices.


“That is the next step for Coventry, where new housing developments for people who can walk to work will balance the recent surge of new student developments. The continued improvements by the council to the public realm along with the new swimming pool complex and retail regeneration are making the city centre a much more attractive place to live.

“The former industrial site is currently derelict, but perfect for an environmentally sustainable development which cuts down on car use.

“The Radford Brook runs through the site in a culvert but can be easily opened up as a landscape feature. The brook could be a direct green link connecting Belgrade Plaza to Naul’s Mill Park, Bablake School and the Coundon and Radford communities.”

At the time of proposals being unveiled, Jim O’Boyle, the council’s cabinet member for jobs and regeneration said: “This is the largest site that we have designated for housing close to the city centre and the Council welcomes proposals to bring forward a high quality project. The city needs many more housing units and I’m also very interested in the wider community benefits of a linear park improving access to the city centre for local residents. We look forward to working in partnership to get the project delivered.”

Responses to the consultation, which closes on December 19, can be made via the Coventry City Council online planning portal, using reference OUT/2019/2454.

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