Demolition has begun at a former bank which will open up a link in a busy part of Coventry City Centre.
The £2.3million project, which includes funding of £642,000 from the Coventry and Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership (CWLEP), has paved the way for the former Nationwide building to be dismantled as part of plans to re-establish the connection between Broadgate and Hertford Street.
The first phase of the work will also involve removing the existing concrete pavement slabs and is due to be completed by the end of August.
Work will then begin on the second phase to install new paving from Broadgate to Hertford Street as a continuation of the work already carried out in Broadgate which is expected to be finished by the end of the year.
It will be the first time for 50 years the link from Broadgate to Hertford Street has been opened to the public and as part of preparatory work, Coventry City Council secured planning permission to remove the 1970s Nationwide building and return the Grade II listed Broadgate House building to its original design.
Coun Jim O’Boyle, cabinet member for jobs and regeneration, and fellow CWLEP board director Zamurad Hussain pressed the button on the bulldozer to signify the start of the scheme.
Coun O’Boyle said it was great the project was getting underway to restore the wide connection and open up the area.
He said: “This work will restore Broadgate House to its former glory and Broadgate and Hertford Street will both benefit from the improved connection.
“It was my pleasure to officially start the demolition alongside Zamurad because I’ve been waiting for this day – and so have a lot of local people, many old enough to remember how it was originally.
“I know a lot of people will be pleased to see this work get underway.
“It also signals our intent to continue improving our city centre.
“And although I acknowledge there is a way to go, this is an important step forward.
“For the last five decades, the sculptures, called The People of Coventry, on the Hertford Street facing side of Broadgate House have been mainly obstructed from public view by the Nationwide building but that will all change with the figures back on full display again.
“I will be watching the demolition with interest and I’m really looking forward to seeing the improvements once they are completed.”
Zamurad Hussain, a board director at the Coventry and Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership, said: “Coventry city centre is thriving once again and demolishing the Nationwide building and adding new paving along Broadgate Square and Hertford Street will revitalise this area as well.”
