central city #5

Coventry CentralCity

www.centralcitymagazine.comTHE REGENERATION OF COVENTRY

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■ offIce story Opportunities for relocation and new development in the city’s growing office market

■ my coventry Developer Ian Harrabin voices his passion for the city’s heritage buildings

■ retaIl renewal The vision for a vibrant city centre, a new retail destination for the region

“severn trent sets the standard of what we are prepared to accept” coventry city council chief executive. martin reeves on the city’s welcome to. ecologically progressive businesses.

These are exciting times at BarberryDevelopments.

We’re approaching the future with energyand enthusiasm, and the desire to identifyunique development opportunities.

One such scheme is the £50 millionredevelopment of a key part of Coventry city centre, the former Royal Mail SortingCentre. At Bishop Gate we plan to create an exciting mixed use scheme, anchored by a superstore supermarket of up to130,000 sq ft and 585 parking spaces.Working in partnership with Coventry City Council, we will deliver a majorsuperstore and retail/leisure developmentthat complements perfectly Coventry’sambitious regeneration masterplan.

One of the most successful privately-ownedproperty development and investmentcompanies in the West Midlands, ourportfolio includes a range of developmentsacross the industrial, commercial, retail andleisure sectors.

Our experience and management structureenables us to make rapid but well-informeddecisions. We are flexible and diverse, andcapable of working successfully in challengingmarket conditions. We are happy to work inpartnership or within joint ventures and havea proven track record of establishingexcellent relationships.

To find out more about BarberryDevelopments visit www.barberry.co.uk or call +44 1562 731300

Barberry’s special delivery

Barberry House, Bromsgrove Road, Belbroughton, Nr Stourbridge, West Midlands DY9 9XX.Tel: 01562 731300 Fax: 01562 731400

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www.bishopgatecoventry.co.uk

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CONTENTS

contentsIssue 05 March 2011

Editor: Siobhán CrozierArt director: Terry HawesDesigner: Andy RitchieProduction manager: Rachael SchofieldAdvertisement sales: Paul GussarOffice manager: Sue MaparaManaging director: Toby Fox

Printed by: Tradewinds

Images:Timm Sonnenschein, Coventry City Council, The Jerde Partnership Inc, Coventry University, Coventry City Football Club, ProLogis, Coventry Transport Museum, Complex Development Projects, Taylor Wimpey, Friargate Coventry LLP, Barberry Developments, Wikipedia creative commons: Andrew Walker (walker44), LK34, Advantage West Midlands

Published by

189 Lavender Hill, London SW11 5TBT: 020 7978 6840

For Coventry City Council City Services and Development Directorate, Council House, Earl Street, Coventry CV1 5RR

Principal inward investment officer: Rachel [email protected]

Subscriptions and feedbackwww.citycentralmagazine.com

Copyright 3Fox International Ltd 2011. All material is strictly copyright and all rights are reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without the written permission of 3Fox International Ltd is strictly forbidden. The greatest care has been taken to ensure the accuracy of information at time of going to press, but we accept no responsibility for omissions or errors. The views expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of 3Fox International Limited or Coventry City Council.

TOP: Rainbow over Coventry Cathedral.MIDDLE: CDP’s eco friendly town houses at Electric Wharf. BOTTOM: Charging points for electric cars in one of the UK’s most sustainable cities.

Coventry CentralCity

04 News A round-up of the latest in Coventry’s regeneration, from Godiva on bikes to big news at the airport and the city’s Olympic legacy.

08 Round table interview With a new political administration, coupled with a challenging economy, what now are the priorities for the city’s reinvention?

1� Masterplan The city centre retail masterplan is central to the city’s rebirth. We find out where it’s at.

19 Office space Bang in the middle of the UK, and with a highly skilled workforce, it’s no wonder Coventry is attracting big commercial players.

24 Sustainability Coventry’s manufacturing legacy is helping it lead the UK in green technology, from low-carbon energy schemes to electric cars.

28 Severn Trent As employees of Coventry’s most prestigious new firm move in, we find out how their new life in the city is shaping up.

�2 Map What’s being built, city-wide.

�� Projects An update on all the major developments going on in the city – the where, how, when and who.

40 Housing From mature stock in leafy suburbs to brand new developments, we look at what Coventry has to offer its new, and existing, residents.

44 My Coventry Ian Harrabin of Complex Development Projects on getting his hands on a favourite bit of the city.

46 Contacts Who’s who?

04 coventry central city_issue 5

Storming start for LEP

upfront

Godiva Awakes cyclists chosenThe 100 strong Godiva Awakes Cycle Team, led by British Cycling Champion Mick Ives, was announced by Imagineer Productions in December 2010. Novice and experienced cyclists from across the region are now preparing to take part in Godiva’s epic journey in 2012.

Imagineer have been recruiting cyclists from across the region since Coventry’s Festival of Cycling in June 2010. The team are training with Mick Ives – the remarkable 72 times British Cycling Champion. Ives is working with artists Imagineer Productions to ensure the team are at the necessary level of fitness to be able to power Godiva to London.

Godiva Awakes is part of Artists taking the lead, a series of 12 public art commissions across the UK to celebrate the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad.

Imagineer Productions will create a 10-metre high Lady Godiva, who will awake from her chamber in July 2012. She will be the focus of a spectacular performance, powered by 50 cyclists on the journey to take part in the London 2012 celebrations. Lady Godiva is designed as a symbol of justice, embodying the values of fair play, friendship, respect and courage that are at the heart of the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Low carbon Coventry 2020

Coventry and Warwickshire’s local enterprise partnership (LEP) has launched to a “storming start”, according to Denys Shortt, LEP chair, who is founder and chief executive of DCS Europe, after 150 business people attended the first meeting of leaders and stakeholders.

The LEP vice-chair is the leader of Coventry City Council, Cllr John Mutton. He said: “It’s going to be absolutely vital for us to work together as we seek to bring jobs, new investment and new industries to Coventry and the sub-region.”

The Government was due to assess bids for the Regional Growth Fund (RGF) early in 2011.

At least nine local initiatives

have bid for a share of £1.4 billion. Shortt commented: “The bids are outstanding. They show innovation and real potential and would all bring very notable benefits to Coventry and Warwickshire in terms of the jobs they would create.

“The whole focus of the LEP is to try to create growth and to remove the barriers that prevent it. Certainly these bids show great potential for growth.”

The LEP board has begun devising the plan for its first 90 days, as well as a five-year strategy.

The board is made up of representatives from the private sector, Coventry City Council, Warwickshire County Council, Coventry University and the University of Warwick.

Coventry’s drive to become a low carbon city was given extra impetus by the Coventry Partnership’s Low Carbon conference. It took place at the Techno Centre in December 2010, with participants focusing on the economic and social benefits of low-carbon status.

The conference was the culmination of work by the Coventry 2020 Low Carbon task group, convened in January 2010

left to right: Sir Peter rigby, Craig humphrey, Alan farnell, Nigel thrift, Councillor John Mutton, Daniel gidney, Denys Shortt, Martyn hollingsworth, John latham and Councillor linda Bigham.


upfront

MAil orDer ShoPPiNgBishop Street sorting office is to be transformed into retail units (pictured above). The former Royal Mail building, which closed in November 2010, was bought by developer Barberry. Director Henry Bellfield said: “We’re working closely with Coventry City Council and hope to finalise a planning application for a 37,000sq m scheme to incorporate a supermarket, non-food retail units, a fitness centre and associated parking. Following closure of the sorting office, this part of the city is in desperate need of new investment and redevelopment. The plans will create hundreds of jobs.”

In BrIEfSuStAiNABle City Coventry rose 10 places from 17th to seventh in the annual Sustainable Cities Index, produced by national charity Forum for the Future. The league ranks Britain’s 20 largest cities on their environmental performance, quality of life and how well they prepare for future challenges.

fA WoMeN’S CuPThe Football Association (FA) has selected the Ricoh Arena, home of Coventry City FC, as the venue for the 2011 FA Women’s Cup Final for the first time. The FA hopes that the match, on May 21, will attract the best ever attendance for a domestic women’s game in England. Ricoh Arena chief executive Daniel Gidney said: “We are delighted to be hosting the final of the prestigious FA Women’s Cup.”

lightiNg uP tiMeThe council has signed a 25-year, £230 million PFI contract with Balfour Beatty to replace 28,000 street lights, 4,200 lit traffic signs and 1,500 illuminated bollards across the city. The latest technology will be installed, reducing energy costs and carbon emissions by 38% after five years.

Designs for a new square for Broadgate had been unveiled, just as Coventry Central City went to press. Council leaders were considering proposals following consultation with residents, to ensure that their city will derive the maximum benefit from the legacy of the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The new square for Broadgate would be completed in time for the 2012 Games and also for the celebration of Coventry Cathedral’s 50th anniversary.

No other city outside London will be the focus of so much Olympic-related activity, which will include hosting football matches at the Ricoh Stadium and the Godiva Awakes art project. But in order to ensure Coventrians enjoy the benefits in the long term, a £7 million package of improvements will transform routes into the city centre as well as Broadgate and Bull Yard.

An application for £3.5 million worth of funding from the European Regional Development Fund has already been approved in principle, with investment also coming from local transport plan funding.

Council leader John Mutton said, “The people of Coventry deserve a city they can be proud of and we know that Broadgate in particular is close to everyone’s heart. In 2012 the eyes of the world will be on us, so this is an ideal opportunity to continue to focus on regeneration to transform the historic heart of the city centre.”

Martin Yardley, the council’s director of city services and development, said: “We know from working with local people on the Jerde masterplan that residents have great ideas about what works and what doesn’t. And they identified Broadgate as one of their top priorities.”

by the Coventry Partnership Board, as part of its decision to name climate change and carbon reduction as its cross-cutting theme for 2010.

The task group was set up in January 2010 under the chairmanship of Peter Woodward to draw up a vision for how a dynamic, resilient, low carbon Coventry might look in 2020 and identify key actions that would maximise opportunities for the city’s regeneration.

The conference also acted as a launchpad for the creation of social enterprise businesses, with a specific goal of attracting

investment and employment opportunities around low carbon technologies.

Chair of the Coventry Partnership Environment Theme Group and conference facilitator, Peter Woodward, said: “Combating climate change requires us to dramatically cut our carbon emissions. The Low Carbon Task Group has created a compelling vision of how we can achieve this and create a more sustainable and resilient Coventry by 2020.

“By working together as individuals, organisations and communities, we can capitalise

on this energy revolution. We can create new businesses and jobs and improve the quality of life of every citizen.”

Roger Lewis, chair of the Coventry Partnership and director of Peugeot Citroën Group in Coventry, said: “The conference promised to be different to any other conference I have ever attended, where we all really can start to make a difference, not only as representatives of the wide spectrum of organisations that make up the partnership, but as individual citizens of Coventry and the wider sub-region.”

Broadgate plans aim to maximise Coventry’s 2012 Olympic legacy

Coventry 2012 – the legacy


upfront

Waste to warmthMajor city centre buildings could soon be heated by waste heat from the Whitley incinerator. The council is planning to use warmth that is currently wasted at the plant off London Road to heat the Council House, Coventry Sports Centre, Coventry University and Coventry Cathedral.

The scheme could then be extended to heat homes at the Friargate development next to the railway station and new buildings arising from the city centre masterplan.

A council report calculates that when expanded to its maximum, the new district heating could cut the council’s carbon footprint by 40%, as well as saving £85,000 a year on its energy bills, while avoiding carbon taxes and generating income by selling heat supplies.

Councillors approved plans in January 2011 to set up HeatCo, an arms-length company created by the council with Coventry University and a jointly procured private sector partner, to steer the scheme. Carl Pearson, head of economy and community, stressed that the plans are not yet in their final stages.

When it was built in 1972 the Whitley plant was one of the first in the country to sell its heat by-product to a private customer, in this case the Peugeot plant at Ryton. But since the closure of that site, the wasted heat has not been used.

A £1 billion PFI scheme to replace the burner was scrapped last year after an engineer’s report found the current plant, with maintenance, could run for another 30 years.

Coventry airport takes offCoventry Airport is open for business and operational once more. Patriot Aerospace, which bought the airport in April 2010 following its liquidation, will offer aviation services, including leisure, business and freight. Passenger flights are planned for a later date.

“I’m truly excited to be launching a new era in the long history of Coventry Airport. With the groundwork done, we can now handle business jets, cargo, light aircraft and helicopters, but this is just the beginning of what we would like to achieve,” said Patriot Aerospace chairman Sir Peter Rigby.

“Coventry is an airport with a big future. We intend to make it one of the crown jewels of the local area, providing economic growth and jobs in the community.”

The new management team is investigating areas for expansion. With the return of scheduled flights identified as a key potential source of growth, Patriot Aerospace is seeking airlines offering relevant routes at competitive prices. It also plans to develop the airport’s existing customers, suppliers and tenants.

Cllr Linda Bigham, the council’s cabinet member for city development, said: “This is evidence of Patriot Aerospace’s commitment to the future of Coventry Airport, which supports hundreds of jobs and its long-term development and viability is essential for the local economy. We believe that a city like ours should have its own airport.”

Louise Bennett, chief executive of Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce, said: “The chamber has long been an advocate of a vibrant airport in the city. The airport generates and supports hundreds of jobs and has far greater potential than has been realised in recent years.”

ABoVe: Pupils of Sidney Stringer Academy will enjoy a high quality learning environment.

Academy’s milestoneConstruction work on the new Sidney Stringer Academy is set to finish in June this year.

The £27 million complex – sponsored by City College and Coventry City Council and supported by Coventry University and Jaguar Cars – is being built by Kier Moss, the local arm of the Kier Group.

It is hoped staff and students will move in immediately for the last few weeks of term before the buildings are formally opened in September.

Covering 13,088sq m, the new Sidney Stringer Academy building will provide state-of-the-art general and specialist teaching areas, a library, sixth form centre, sports block and an Enterprise and Innovation Centre.

Our not-for-profit housing association wascreated in 2000 in what was then the largestsingle housing stock transfer in the country.We are Coventry’s biggest social housingprovider, owning and managing more than18,500 affordable homes across the City.

In 2009 Whitefriars joined Harden, Kemble andNexus Housing Associations as a member ofthe West Mercia Housing Group, which is nowknown as WM Housing Group.

The Group is a regional force of more than24,000 homes, a lead investment partner of theHomes & Communities Agency (HCA) and thelead member of the Spectrum DevelopmentConsortium. Each year we build around 300new homes and invest over £29 million toensure that our communities are places wherepeople are proud to live and work.

We are also proud to be partners in the NorthSolihull Regeneration Scheme and the SpiritQuarters development of North Coventry.

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THE ROUND TABLE INTERVIEW


The economy is tough but Coventry is capitalising on its great strengths to forge ahead with development. Council leader John Mutton, with chief executive Martin Reeves, Martin Yardley, city services and development director and David Cockroft, assistant director, city centre and development services, spoke with Siobhán Crozier about their city’s potential and how they are transforming Coventry

SC: The political administration changed in May 2010. What difference has it made to regeneration policies?

JM: Some things won’t change at all. We supported the previous administration with the masterplan before the changes to the city centre. What we will do differently

though, as we have done with the PFI license scheme, and with Project Transform, is make certain that we deliver.

MR: The real difference is the nuance and the prioritisation of some of those big projects.

JM: There is one big difference: we will not be building any new houses on green belt or greenfield land. Jobs need to come first, and then as people move to the city we will make sure that there is sufficient housing. We have enough brownfield sites for 22,000 new homes.

Down to business

SC: What are three main regeneration priorities facing the council in the really tough economic climate?

JM: We have got 40,000 students at the two universities. We want those graduates to stay in Coventry. In order for us to attract those skilled and intelligent people to stay here, we have got to provide employment opportunities for them.

MY: To attract investment into Coventry and bring jobs, we have got to make the processes as straightforward as we can, and actually show that we compete with anywhere else in the world, never mind anywhere else within this country.

DC: Strategically, it’s about making sure that the development climate here is as simple as possible, by either de-risking projects or making schemes attractive to developers so that they can start as soon as possible.

MR: Before we start talking about jobs, jobs, jobs, the priority is to regenerate. This is very much about

ABOVE: Martin Reeves, chief executive of Coventry City Council.

BELOW:John Mutton, leader of Coventry City Council.


infrastructure, big project development, and connectivity across the city and the sub-region. But this is about jobs: everything from the small start-ups to the medium size, that actually need more support on the supply chain to continue to grow, to our large existing multi-nationals – and also those that want to come to Coventry to invest and to create jobs.

SC: What’s the likely impact of the 2012 Olympics for renewal, with Coventry having secured group matches for the football tournaments at the Ricoh Arena?

JM: The Olympics will be broadcast all over the world, so will be a tremendous opportunity for Coventry to exploit economically, but will also reinforce the pride that Coventry people have in this city.

MR: Firstly, we need to remember what a great symbol of physical, social and economic regeneration the Ricoh Arena is.

Secondly, the Olympic Organising Committee doesn’t decide on host venues lightly, and I am incredibly proud that we are going to play our part. This is not about a series of football matches: it’s about a whole series of social, physical and economic regeneration on the back of the Olympics.

MY: It has also given us a date to focus on, by when we have to complete our projects so we can maximise the benefits for the city.

SC: All local authorities are having to make budget reductions. Can you keep the focus on regeneration? Or must it be the delivery of statutory services?

JM: We don’t agree with the salami slicing that a lot of other authorities are doing. We’re looking at every section of work – in some crucially important sections, like regeneration, the funding will still be made available. If other sections don’t fit in with the corporate plan, the statutory responsibilities, or the political priorities they will disappear in their entirety, ensuring that the money that we do have is used in the most appropriate way.

MR: A city council is inextricably linked to the very city that it serves. You can’t separate statutory services from the future viability, the well-being and the

life of a city. We don’t operate in some kind of vacuum.Secondly, while the people of Coventry will be judging us politically and as managers of the delivery of services, they also want to live in an environment that is ambitious, that has a future and that they are proud to do business in, to live in and to work in.

SC: What major achievements do you point to when promoting your city to potential investors?

JM: Delivery is a major factor, but also if they’re going to move some of their high flying executives to the area, most companies want to see that we have got the type of housing that suits their needs, the schools and the entertainment. And be warm and friendly towards them, and knock down the hurdles, particularly to do with planning applications.

MR: The chemistry in all of this is a combination of inward investors and organisations that have a choice – remember, they have a choice – to locate. They see all

“To attract investment into Coventry and bring jobs, we have got to make the processes as straightforward as we can”

ABOVE: David Cockroft, assistant director for city centre and development services.

BELOW:Martin Yardley,city services and development director.

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THE ROUND TABLE INTERVIEW

of that, what we might call the soft stuff, but actually it is more than that, it’s what the employees and executives want to get out of it.

JM: It is about demonstrating that we are a successful city. If other investors see that lots of other companies have also been prepared to invest in Coventry, that is far more reassuring than anything we can say to them.

MR: We must learn from mistakes in the past, and show that we have done so. I think that’s the sign of a city that is confident in itself.

MY: We are building the absolute height of quality cars here. And we are keeping it secret! We need to sell ourselves better.

SC: FTSE 100 company Severn Trent relocated here, so what is the message to multinationals about Coventry?

ABOVE: From left, David Cockroft and John Mutton.

OPPOSITE: Martin Reeves.

MR: Severn Trent haven’t come to Coventry because they love us: they have come because it has the location advantages, the quality of service, the diversity and the links to the national infrastructure that they wanted. It is absolutely key for us to let Severn Trent do the advertisement for us.

MY: If 1,700 new individuals come into the city every day to work, and also relax, on economics alone, you realise just how important it is that we landed a

company like Severn Trent. MR: Severn Trent sets the standard of what we are

prepared to accept. They work in the local universities to actually sponsor new kinds of courses and with research. That’s a standard I don’t think we need to go below.

coventry central city_issue 5 11

JM: Youthful, lively and excitingMR: Resilient, accessible and funDC: Proud, diverse and futureMY: Diversity, enthusiasm, the desire to move forward

Three words that describe Coventry?

SC: How will you increase footfall to the city centre?JM: People will always visit something that is new.

Make that first experience enjoyable, by having car parks near where they want to go, public transport that helps them get around, cafes where they can sit and watch the world go by, and the regeneration of the city centre will be a huge success.

But we only get one chance. And if we fail to get it right first time, the city will have to put up with that for the next 50 or 60 years.

MR: Coventry must be the heart, the hub, the engine-room of the wider area. We must up the retail offer and transform the heart of the city – we have no choice.

It’s about confidence. Look at Cardiff, almost an identical footprint to us, almost identical population, they have actually had a vision for their city centre and the retail offer there has just gone through the roof.

MY: We are in a unique position. Firstly, there are very few landowners for a city centre, and we know them all. Secondly, there is such an opportunity to improve, because we are so far below our weight in the retail offer. The key thing for investors is for us to take that risk out.

DC: We are at an interesting stage in the cycle: we’re at the bottom. The fact that we own the land is critically important because we control to some extent what

we want to come forward, so you don’t have two schemes competing with each other.

MR: This is not just about retail, it’s the whole offer. Is it an environment that people want to come into and have some food when they finish work?

SC: From the investor’s perspective, there are lots of opportunity sites here in Coventry. Are you confident that you can push through development in this climate?

JM: I am confident, simply because a lot of these investors have been sitting on dead money. They haven’t been investing anywhere else.

DC: In this market at the moment there is an issue around getting third-party debt finance. That doesn’t stop it forever. That slows it down. But these are fundamentally good schemes and the fact is that they will come through with funding.

MY: And the headroom between us and adjacent cities is so great that there is huge room to move into. Birmingham rents are fairly stable at around £27.50 per square foot. To build something of good quality in Coventry is around £22. We’re a sleeping giant that just needs to actually make those first steps – like Severn Trent – to make other people look at us and see the opportunity.

DC: We have an incredible ‘undiscovered diamond’! MR: We’ve got technical drive and confidence – this is

about connecting all this together through our sustainable funding packages. We don’t want a series of isolated development projects, infrastructure here, job creation strategy there, the Olympics here, retail offer there.

If Coventrians feel dislocated and disconnected from the heart of their city, we have missed the point. It is nobody else’s job, it’s us. We’re up for it, aren’t we?

http://www.martineau-uk.com

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RETAIL MASTERPLAN


The people of Coventry believe their city centre is a sleeping retail giant. They strongly feel the city ought to successfully compete with retail hubs in Birmingham and other cities across the Midlands.

The ongoing recession might not muster much optimism. Even so, Coventrians eagerly hope a masterplan to transform the city centre’s retail offer will be ready by the end of 2011. The principle of phased retail-led redevelopment in the south of the city, expressed by the masterplan produced in 2008 by Jerde, the renowned Los Angeles-based architects, seems to enjoy widespread public support.

Many people have scratched their heads, wondering why the starting gun on Coventry’s retail renaissance hadn’t been fired years ago. Baffled potential investors, developers and retailers have pored over statistics in

recent years, trying to fathom the almost perplexing, gaping gap between Coventry’s demographic potential and its retail performance.

International retail experts, King Sturge, underlined Coventry’s status as the UK’s eleventh largest city in 2007. Incredibly, despite Coventry’s population size, the city was ranked only 43rd in terms of its retail offer – a huge disparity.

A significant yet slender improvement was registered when Coventry clambered to 41st in the UK’s retail league in 2008, according to Experian rankings. It proved to be a false dawn. In December 2010, Coventry’s retail performance ranking slipped to a poor 60th.

This lowly position defies the logic implied by the city’s demographics. That logic says Coventry represents a massive customer base for a retail-led redevelopment. Coventry’s 309,800 population includes a large, economically active proportion, some 145,300. Over 15% of Coventry’s workers are employed in skilled, professional occupations, higher than the rest of the West Midlands (12.7%) and nationally (13%), according to government figures for 2009.

The city boasts residential areas with thousands of households living in reasonably priced properties. Coventry is also blessed with seven nearby motorways and a West Coast Main Line railway station. Even with online and out-of-town shopping, Coventry should still be a retail stronghold attracting a large catchment market. Instead, outsiders are baffled that Coventry attracts only two-thirds the number of shoppers as Leicester, even though Coventry’s retail catchment population is twice as big.

Asked by King Sturge researchers why such a gap exists, 63% of businesses felt Coventry’s city centre

Southern accent

Coventry is a sleeping retail giant. Regeneration will be driven by a major retail scheme phased across the south of the city centre. Paul Coleman reports

RETAIL MASTERPLAN


was “too downmarket”. Only 35% said they shopped in Coventry because of its choice and range of shops. Coventry hosts Debenhams, M&S, The co-operative, Costa Coffee and Starbucks – but it still doesn’t draw in enough shoppers.

David Cockroft, the council’s assistant director for city centre and development services, acknowledges Coventry “leaks the discretionary spending shopper” to places like Birmingham, Solihull and Leamington. Cockroft, an energetic advocate for Coventry, accepts areas such as Hertford Street and Shelton Square are perceived as drab over-concentrations of discount shops, phone and fast food outlets.

However, Cockroft firmly believes the masterplan offers real hope. The delivery of a well-timed and viable city centre scheme can help Coventry fulfil its latent retail potential. “The distinctive lag between Coventry’s population and the city centre’s trading position creates an enormous opportunity,” says Cockroft.

The masterplan process has already revealed Coventry enjoys key advantages justifying such optimism. Firstly, the quality of 3,000 contributions from members of the public proved high demand for Coventry’s retail transformation. This demand flashed strongly on many developers’ radar during 2010.

Developers’ eyebrows were raised by several key attractions, including the critical issue of risk and cost of land acquisition. Land acquisition in the north would have eaten up time and proven more expensive. A fragmented and complex pattern of land ownership exists in the north of the city. Premium tenants are already established there. A strong accent on redeveloping the south of the city was deemed as vital.

The council and its partners own a vast 86% of the land identified for development south of the city centre – a historical legacy of Coventry’s extensive World War II bomb-damage. The City Council itself, Aviva, Scottish Life and Explore are the most significant freeholders.

A solid working relationship with Aviva allows the council to enjoy a major say in the scale and shape of any development.

Each landholder voiced the need for a viability study to test the masterplan’s assumptions. Would aspirations and proposals in the Jerde masterplan actually work and make financial sense? Hanging gardens on pretty computer graphic images were all very nice but could Coventry attract and sustain extra retail trade?

Cockroft explains that the study would have appeared transparently naive had it been based solely on a hopeful prediction that high city centre rents would deliver viability. Reduced, realistic figures were shrewdly used and each key landholder contributed authentic acquisition costs.

“It would have been no use saying if there’s a fair wind behind rents everybody will hit a rental jackpot,” says Cockroft. “So I was very pleased that, even using an appropriate multiplier or yield, the scheme’s viability came out positively.”

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A well-timed and viable city centre scheme can help Coventry fulfil its latent retail potential

http://www.bishopsplace.info


RETAIL MASTERPLAN

ABOVE: Jerde’s phased retail-led masterplan aims to transform the city centre by attracting a broad retail offer.

Some developers, as a consequence of the projected viability of the city centre masterplan, have already begun preparations so they can pounce when a concrete offer emerges from the planning process. “We hope to be working with a development partner during the latter part of 2011,” confirms Cockroft. “Developers need to fill their books with profitable schemes when the market picks up.”

The control of land in the south is also matched by the land’s redevelopment potential. For instance, the first phase of a finalized scheme might possibly allow a major revamp of a nine-hectare site covering Coventry Market, the Barracks car park, Bull Yard and the City Arcade.

A scheme in the south of the city also offers the potential linkage to Friargate, the 10 to 15 year redevelopment of a 15-hectare site next to the city’s train station. Friargate could result in the creation of 300,000sq m of new office space across 14 buildings. Two hotels, new homes, bars, restaurants, shops, all set around a public square could create up to 15,000 new jobs. These opportunities would be taken up by people who could make the short trip to the new city centre for coffee or lunch, do their late-night shopping and enjoy an evening meal.

Jerde envisaged 200,000 square metres of retail space, hosting a major anchor department store, drawing in a range of traditional, niche and convenience shops. The hard work Cockroft and his team undertake during the remainder of

2011 will largely define the final shape and extent of the city centre’s redevelopment. “We’ve got to make our scheme as attractive as possible to ensure it’s picked up as early as possible in an economic recovery,” says Cockroft. “If it’s highly attractive to developers then we’ll have the ability to negotiate on elements very important to the people of Coventry – the quality of the buildings and of the public realm. My team are keen to make the development happen, but we’re no pushovers.”

Cockroft possesses a priceless inside knowledge of developers. He joined the council from housing developers Lovell. Previously, he cut his developer’s teeth as an AMEC regional director and by helping St Modwen to bid for and deliver similar schemes. At Cockroft’s side is Richard Moon, another experienced senior executive appointee, who worked for the Maximus Group and Bryant Properties.

Cockroft explains the City Council could have cited the recession as an easy excuse to do nothing. “But sitting

on our hands would have been misguided,” he asserts. Before the scheme heats up in the planning process, money will be spent to improve pedestrian routes and shop frontages, to make the city centre more lively. “Development partners are keen to see some traffic in the city, some pedestrian flow, otherwise they’ll think, ‘blimey, we’ll have to create it all’,” explains Cockroft.

Timing remains critical. City centre regeneration will take several years. “Developers don’t want to be developing the city centre when the market reaches a crescendo and then perhaps dips again,” adds Cockroft. “Understandably, they want shops like Gap, Next and Mango to be their occupiers.”

Cockroft says the aim is not simply to rebalance Coventry’s retail performance with its handsome demographics. There is also the broader aim to reinvigorate Coventry as a place where people will want

to shop and relax. That includes making the city centre

recognisable as Coventry and not just merely another soulless branch of ‘High Street UK’. People want a more vibrant city centre so any finalised scheme has to pursue the aim of delivering a night-time economy with family restaurants and other entertainment.

The masterplanning process underlined public demand for redevelopment in the south of the

city’s centre. Cockroft and his team are applying their experience, intelligence and enthusiasm. Only the timetable remains hazy but the phased unfolding of Coventry city centre’s retail-led renaissance should be much clearer by next autumn. “I have absolutely no doubt the redevelopment of Coventry’s city centre will happen,” enthuses Cockroft, with characteristic determination.

“�We’ve�got��to�make�our�scheme�as��attractive��as�possible”

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A TRACK RECORD THAT SPEAKS FOR ITSELF

With over 15 years of developing landmark schemes from

Stoford completed the stunning £60 million BREEAM

Stoford Developments LtdLancaster House

67 Newhall StreetBirmingham

EXCELLENT

http://www.stoford.com

Office markets


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coventry’s roots in industry and innovation is proving to be its lifeline out of the recession, particularly when combined with its key assets of excellent location and skilled workforce.

The city has a higher than average proportion of professional workers (at more

than 14% of the workforce), as well as finance and business services (more than 23%) and manufacturing (almost 11%). The labour pool also benefits from more than one million people living within a 30-minute drive, and six million potential workers within an hour on the road. Another positive competitive factor is that the average annual full-time salary of £30,900 is substantially lower than in London and the South East, where the average is over £45,000.

During the past two years, inevitably, unemployment has risen, and the JSA (Job Seekers Allowance) claimant rate had reached 4.7% by October 2010. But Coventry shows a healthier picture in terms of job availability. Unfilled vacancies in October 2010 were 158 per 10,000 adults, compared to just 115 throughout the West Midlands region and 83 nationally.

Coventry’s economic future is intrinsically linked to the Jerde masterplan for regeneration and its final blueprint, adopted last year, was a pragmatic response to current economic conditions. Total office space was reduced, some reconceived as flexible and creative live-work units. Some larger development parcels were broken up to be built in several phases, adapting them better to demands of the current market.

Regeneration depends on inward investment from both public and private sectors, particularly to provide a better office and retail offer. Severn Trent’s decision to locate its centre in Coventry rather than stay in Birmingham has

been a huge success in this respect. With the change in central government, the decision on the future of BECTA and QCDA has been disappointing for Coventry, but despite such a setback the city’s economy has enough breadth to compensate.

High-end manufacturing and technology have continued to grow strongly through the recession: a good example being Modec, the ‘green van maker’. There is also the Manufacturing Technology Centre at Ansty (pictured below), which will be a national hub for new technologies, not forgetting the continuing expansion of both Coventry and Warwick universities.

Jaguar Land Rover has recently relocated its entire research group to Warwick University.

Delivering the masterplan in this economic climate requires flexibility and pragmatism from both private and public sectors. Martin Yardley, director of city services and development for Coventry City Council, believes 2011 will see real

Market placeCoventry’s supply of business space is attracting some heavy hitters and the experts predict a strong recovery,

strengthening the city’s future prospects, writes David Gray

“ We have already approved three million square feet of office space”

Office markets


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progress, with the Friargate scheme on the south side of the city. He says “We have already approved three million square feet of office space, two hotels and 400 apartments, equating to £1.5 billion investment around the railway station, and I would not be surprised if we received a further application for the site.”

Jerde, in Yardley’s view, has been essential “to generate the interest of the public and the landowners”. The fact that much of Coventry’s city centre is owned by the council and the local universities provides a rare opportunity. “We want to bring the other landowners to the table,” says Yardley, “and show in the current economic climate that there is a workable sale.”

The private sector is now moving out of recession and the challenge is for the council and other public bodies to interact with business to generate more jobs. “Coventry can really get moving,” he says, “We have every advantage for investment I could ask for.”

One sure advantage for Coventry is affordability. The latest data from Colliers CRE shows offices in Coventry with grade A rents of £16.50 per sq ft, much lower than Birmingham’s £27.50 and comparing well with Solihull’s £19.50 and Warwick’s £17.00.

Local agent D&P Holt estimates that prime office rents are at £16 and secondary space as low as £7 to £9 per sq ft. Prime industrial rents, according to the same source, are £6 to £7 per sq ft and can go as low as £3 to £4 for some larger premises. Office yields moved up slightly during 2010 from 6% to 6.5% for prime space and from 7% to 8.5% for secondary.

The council plays a crucial role in the city’s response to the recession and taking the regeneration programme forward. Déirdre Fitzhugh, the joint inward investment team leader, finds premises for existing and relocating businesses seeking premises. She says: “Our remit is to attract and retain business investment in Coventry. Each property enquiry is allocated a dedicated officer to ensure that any relocation is as smooth and efficient as possible.”

An example of the council’s proactive response to the recession has been its work with Advantage West Midlands and CDP in Far Gosford Street. It includes the conversion of a former cinema into one of the only speculative office buildings currently under way in the West Midlands.

Started in 2010, the development will provide six units designed for use by digital, media and creative businesses. Adjoining buildings have been restored. The Far Gosford Street project will incorporate a hotel and office space targeted at smaller-scale companies.

Several of the other major projects across the city are showing positive progress. The major success has been the opening of the Severn Trent building in September 2010. With an excellent BREEAM rating, it covers 15,800sq m over seven floors. By mid 2011, 1,700 staff will have moved into the St John’s Street building.

Friargate, the 15-ha site by the railway station,

remains the largest development in Coventry. Outline planning permission was granted in January 2010 for 297,000sq m of mixed-use development, including office space equivalent to more than 17 Severn Trent buildings. Negotiations are curently taking place

between the council and Friargate Coventry to take the project forward and it is possible that there will soon be further applications for development on this site.

As well as the grade A office space, the present scheme also includes hotels, restaurants and shops, all designed around new public spaces.

Most of the significant recent activity has been in Coventry’s business parks, an increasingly important asset for the city. Whitley Business Park, covering 38-ha by the A45/A46 junction, was developed by St Modwen Properties. Construction of 5,570sq m of office space has started and

the park has the potential to create up to 2,000 new jobs. Similar developments are taking place at Earlsdon

Park, New Century Park and Prologis Park. Earlsdon, close to Coventry railway station, will offer over 5,575sq m of ‘London-quality space delivered to the regions’, and has recently opened its first building.

At New Century Park, developed by Goodman and British Land in the east of the city, demolition has begun of the former Marconi premises. And Prologis, three

“Coventry can really get moving. We have every advantage for investment I could ask for”

RIGHT: Eco Offices at Electric Wharf, which provides flexible live/work space.

ABOVE AnD PREVIOus PAGE: Office space at Whitley Business Park, a recent development by St Modwen Properties.


Office sector activity has returned and there is renewed interest in development sites

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miles from the centre, close to Junction 6 of the M6, has gone from strength to strength, with an additional four hectares now released for further development.

As well as its larger projects, Coventry has several smaller schemes delivering flexible and innovative space. Complex Development Projects has won awards for its Electric Wharf development, where it offers live/work space of up to 650sq m. The scheme retains many character features of the old industrial premises from which it is converted. Middlemarch Business Park near Coventry Airport has eight units ranging from 185 to 745sq m – all of which are occupied.

Property professionals take a realistic and increasingly positive view. Agent Cushman & Wakefield has recently reported very favourably on the regeneration plan, saying its time scale is right and highlighting the quality and location of the city’s business parks.

Guy Hands of Cartwright Marston says, “We are on the road to recovery and there is a large appetite for prime investments.” The market is hardening and “good quality, well located stock is having incentives reined in and even causing gazumping.” This is in sharp contrast to tenant-led deals of the past two years.

Another agency with long local experience is D&P Holt, where Martyn Howard heads the commercial property department. They saw considerable demand during 2010 for investment property, especially grade A city centre offices, logistics warehouses and retail parks. Although owners of secondary properties “must be more realistic on price,” there is strong demand for quality investments in the area. D&P Holt estimates current prime yields of 6% for offices and 6.5% for industrial premises.

Connections and infrastructure are highlighted by Iain Critchlow of commercial specialist Bromwich Hardy. “There is a strengthening of confidence and economic performance and Coventry is well placed to take advantage of the upturn,” he says.

Office sector activity has returned, he believes, and there is renewed interest in development sites. Good quality industrial space could soon be at a shortage, especially for new-build premises, and there have been “numerous deals for secondary units across Coventry”. Critchlow is also convinced that Coventry’s designation

as a host city for the 2012 Olympics is another ringing endorsement for its capacity to compete nationally and at the highest level.

For the longer-term, David Penn, director of the commercial team at Shortland Horne, is optimistic, especially for the city centre. Coventry has a major opportunity to be the relocation choice for both businesses and public bodies.

“There’s very little stock available,” Penn says, “yet there’s exceptionally good value for money in the city centre. Peak rent in Coventry has not reached £17 per sq ft, it is 30 miles nearer London than Birmingham and it has affluent countryside all around.”

The success of Severn Trent’s move will encourage others and, with more ‘suits’ around, retail and leisure will benefit. Penn fervently believes city centre schemes are the way forward and that Coventry, as a place to live and do business, will have even more to offer.

RIGHT: The excellent BREEAM rated headquarters of Severn Trent.

BElOw: Earlsdon Park will provide London-quality office space close to Coventry station.

Because property is never black and white

Every property project is different. A ‘one size fits all’ approach doesn’t fit the bill. At GVA we never stop building on our Midlands heritage and success. Our innovative, progressive advice is tailored to each project and produces tangible results for business, people and communities. We’re committed to delivering best-in-class commercial property solutions and to working in partnership with Coventry City to make its vision a reality. Find out more from our website.

08449 02 03 04gva.co.uk

Ian StringerRegional Senior

Director – Midlands0121 609 8308

[email protected]

http://www.gva.co.uk

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SUSTAINABILITY


Politicians have been discussing the need for low carbon energy schemes in order to combat climate change for many years. To date, progress has been slow. But Coventry is now demonstrating how to

speed up moves towards sustainability.The process began when the council conducted

research to discover which local skills it could exploit, as the demand for car making ebbed away. “It turned out to be high-level engineering and new industries like digital technology,” explains Graham Simpson, business investment and enterprise manager for Coventry City Council. A decision was made to move from one to one support for businesses, to looking at sectors as a whole.

The areas that were selected to make best use of local skills were low carbon transport and environmental technology. In a joint project with Coventry and Warwick universities, the council has set up a low carbon fleet procurement project that could be worth up to £20 million. “We have ordered 55 low carbon diesel hybrid vehicles for the council,” Simpson says. “If the trials of these 55 vehicles are successful, then the council will purchase more of them.”

The council is also helping to run the UK’s largest test of privately owned low carbon vehicles. The Coventry and Birmingham Low Emissions Demonstrator (CABLED) consortium is testing 110 vehicles of different types and sizes, to evaluate drivers’ experience as well as installing 18 electric charging points around the city. The project has been under way for almost a year. Each car has computer technology to map mileage and charging, and researchers have already discovered that most people charge their vehicles at home which will help to plan the location of charging points in the future.

Coventry is also helping to reduce its residents’ domestic energy use. It has embarked on a £5 million trial project for what could eventually become a £100 million private sector scheme to convert property owned by registered social landlords to ground source heating and solar panels. Households could save around £200 a year on electricity bills.

The pilot is testing retrofitting the houses and exploring the ways in which public and private sector partners can work together. “We want to deliver a citywide project which will mean significant money for the private sector. There are around 20,000 social

Sustainable city

Apart from running a low carbon fleet, Coventry City Council is helping to test the next generation of energy efficient vehicles. Homes are retrofitted to reduce fuel poverty; major developments achieve BREEAM excellent standards. Adrienne Margolis finds out what has made Coventry one of the country’s most sustainable cities

RIGHT: The City Council is piloting low carbon vehicles in its fleet, in partnership with Coventry and Warwick universities.

opposITe MAIn: Residents are taking part in a test of electric cars, making use of extra charging points installed by the City Council.


“ If the trials of these 55 vehicles are successful, then the council will puchase more of them”

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SUSTAINABILITY


houses, so we’re talking very big numbers,” says Simpson. The scheme is using a social enterprise model, and asking partners to put funds into the pot for community use. “The idea is to be able to tie in the public and private sector and demonstrate the principle of a gift for social activity.” There is no shortage of potential partners. “It’s early days, but we are making decent progress. We should have done this years ago,” he adds.

In addition to championing low energy schemes for its own housing stock, the council has been backing the UK’s largest eco homes scheme using the Passivhaus system. A £2.8 million project by the housing association Orbit Heart of England is creating 23 energy efficient homes at Sampson Close in Bell Green. The Passivhaus system uses high levels of insulation in floors, walls and roofs, which cuts heating bills to as little as £1 per week.

“We are on schedule for completion next spring. It will be a first for Orbit and something new to the UK,” Alan Quinlan, the council’s housing enablement officer, says. Because a social housing grant was involved, the scheme needed the council’s political support. It has taken four years to get to this stage. “One of the difficulties with the system is that the housing has to be orientated in a certain way to get the maximum benefit from the sun. It means fewer units can be built on the site. This one is on a slope and it’s been slightly tricky to develop,” Quinlan says.

The developers are undeterred. “We are going through a learning curve,” Stuart Turner, Orbit project manager, says. He estimates that on the continent, passive housing adds 5-7% to costs, but the standard is considerably better than that required in the UK. “We don’t know exactly how much it will add to costs here, because it’s the first time we’ve tried it. We reckon it may be around 17%, but each site is different and that will make the costs different. As we do more of these schemes and our expertise improves, that should help reduce costs.”

As the cost of energy soars, there is likely to be greater demand for schemes of this type, Turner says. There is also scope for improving local skills. “At the moment we have to use a German team for manufacturing because they are experts in air tightness. But in future we hope to get the expertise to bring on a British manufacturer. It will make work like this more sustainable, if we can turn to local firms. We want to make it as cost effective as possible.”

Orbit is so keen on passive housing that it is also looking at using the system for refurbishment too. “It’s about environmental and energy efficiency. And our aim is to reduce fuel poverty,” Turner explains.

Low carbon energy is also being used in commercial buildings. Earlsdon Park is a £110 million mixed-use scheme that includes 554 residential apartments, office

accommodation, restaurants and bars. It is on a 3 hectare site that is being redeveloped in phases. The government’s Qualifications and Curriculum Development Agency (QCDA) moved its 650 staff into a building in the park last July. It is already reporting that running costs are a fraction of those in its previous home at Piccadilly in central London.

QCDA’s Earlsdon Park building has a BREEAM excellent rating – one of the country’s highest.

The next phase at Earlsdon Park includes refurbishing a 1930s art deco technical college and converting it into a hotel, offices and a community theatre. “The building has a steel frame and it would not have been possible to knock it down,” explains development manager Jennifer Price of MCD Developments. Internal partitions are being removed, to create a huge open space, and a new third floor is being added. “After that, there will not be a lot to do because the building is already sustainable,” she says.

MCD aims to leave as small a footprint as possible, says Roger Shipway, sales and marketing manager. “It is now a requirement in many cities, and buildings are more appealing to businesses if they are energy efficient. It’s permeating the corporate culture,” he believes.

Shipway adds that there is also a growing culture of being green in the public sector – and it comes down from the top. “It is definitely in the DNA of Coventry City Council. Previously there was a lot of what we call eco bling – bolting things on to look as if they were making the effort to cut energy use. But now from residential property to factories, there is definitely a desire to do it, not just to make it a tick box exercise.”

GReen fAcTs

Coventry is recognised as the seventh most sustainable city out of 20 in Britain – and one of the fastest climbers.

Coventry’s carbon footprint is dropping at twice the national rate.

Over the next five years a £230 million scheme will replace all the city’s 28,000 street lights with energy efficient units.

Three schools in the city have extensive solar photovoltaic arrays producing zero carbon electricity.

The City Council Business Sustain team works with local firms to help them reduce their energy use and improve their environmental performance. It has helped hundreds of organisations and trained over 15,000 employees. Free help and capital grants will shortly be offered to local SMEs. The City Council has been certified to the internationally recognised ISO 14001 environmental management standard and is currently rolling this out to more of its services.

ABoVe lefT: CDP’s award-winning eco houses at Electric Wharf.

ABoVe RIGHT: Electric Wharf’s waterside setting in Sandy Lane, Radford.

Sampson Close, Orbit Homes’ Passivhaus certified scheme.

Six challenges to change the worldFocus on the future at Coventry University

new leading edge approach to the University’s research agenda is helping to address some of the biggest challenges facing the modern world

Building on our proud tradition of high–quality education and applied research, Coventry University is playing its part in overcoming the major issues that human society faces and has launched a new applied research strategy surrounding six global priorities.

The Grand Challenge Initiatives have been developed alongside existing research strengths to bring the University’s academic excellence to bear on the larger issues which are impacting how we all live in the not too distant future. With a strong focus on innovation, knowledge transfer and alignment to national research priorities we envisage many business opportunities in taking developments forward to the marketplace.

A

• Integrated Transport and Logistics: Focussed on all areas of design, provision and use of transport and logistics networks, and the application of mobile communications and information technologies.

• Digital Media: Technological innovation, and novel creative content drive this challenge to find new ways to exploit digital environments. The range of activity stretches from performance arts through to human interface design, and serious applications of gaming technologies

• Ageing Society: Concerned with the societal issues of supporting a growing elderly population. Encompasses the provision of healthcare, design of equipment and assistive technologies to the positive aspects of wellbeing and inclusion as we age.

• Low Impact Buildings: Covering a wide range of aspects from low carbon construction systems to intelligent monitoring and user experience of new building technologies.

• Sustainable Agriculture and Food: Directed at working in areas of policy, social science and management associated with development of sustainable domestic and international agriculture and food systems.

• Low Carbon Vehicles: Working to test, evaluate and design the vehicles and associated systems needed to establish low carbon vehicles as viable alternatives to traditional modes of transport. An extensive network of leading industry partners and a long track record in automotive system design provides a truly integrated approach to this national priority.

The Grand Challenge Initiatives, will drive an integrated approach to forming multi-disciplinary, multi-sector and even multi-national teams of academics, researchers and business partners to work on collaborative research projects or specific business problems.

Businesses of all sizes can proactively make use of the power of Coventry University’s research expertise, specialist equipment and facilities, and student placement opportunities.

Read about the latest developments with the Grand Challenge Initiatives and our projects with business in the latest edition of Innovate, our applied research magazine:-www.coventry.ac.uk/innovate

Contact the University to arrange a further discussion with the Business Development Team:- Tel:- +44-2476-236364 Email:- [email protected].

www.coventry.ac.uk

Low Carbon Vehicles and Low Impact Buildings; just two of the challenges on Coventry University’s research agenda

http://www.coventry.ac.uk

relocation


Jo truslove inward investment coventry city council

Coventry City Council offers a dedicated and unique relocation service and every company has a dedicated officer – I was Severn Trent’s. Any company coming here can expect personalised treatment. Severn Trent could call me to discuss any aspect of their move.

Our aim is to bring employment to the city and boost its economy. The universities are a big part of this strategy and we have two outstanding universities here. Warwick is among the top five in the country and Coventry University is very business focused and works closely with local companies.

The perception of Coventry outside the city has always proven difficult. In reality, when people come here they really like it. It’s getting over that first hurdle and we have worked really hard to overcome this, offering familiarisation visits to interested prospective companies and organisations, including 600 Severn Trent staff.

Severn Trent is a FTSE 100 company and having it here raises Coventry’s profile. It’s early days but I think it will be really great for the local economy.

We have identified our strengths and we are playing to them. Coventry has always had a strong manufacturing base and in the 21st century non-traditional industries – such as low carbon and Research and Design – are at the forefront. These are just some of the areas we are promoting. Knowledge clusters are important when attracting companies; businesses want to be close to their suppliers and partners with access to a skilled workforce.

Alongside the skills on offer here, Coventry’s location and accessibility is another major selling point. As are property prices, which are 30% to 40% lower than the average London price and around 15% cheaper than homes in Birmingham.

Severn Trent leads the way

In September 2010, FTSE 100 company Severn Trent relocated to an eight storey, 22,500sq m centre in the heart of Coventry. 1,700 staff will be based in the BREEAM excellent building. Julie Mackintosh heard four different perspectives on Severn Trent’s new home


ian StandingPartner associated architects

Our brief had all of the elements one might expect in a corporate office building. The operations centre included – amongst other components – open plan offices, break out areas, meeting rooms and catering facilities to accommodate high occupational density and workplace flexibility in the design.

On this level, the project was reasonably straightforward. The real challenge came with the ambitious environmental standards which Severn Trent had set and for us, that was really interesting and exciting. It wanted to achieve the highest British Council for Offices standards and the BREEAM excellent rating.

Severn Trent was looking for its new home to be exceptional on all counts, from transport policy to energy use. But every decision also had to deliver value for money. Completing the design and build within three years is very quick for a project of this scale and couldn’t have been achieved without collaborative working at every stage and level.

It’s located in a fantastically rich area of the city between the cathedral and the ring road. An architectural dig was carried out and uncovered a medieval street pattern along with artefacts and remains. We wanted the building to reflect this heritage. That’s why it has the same sandstone base as the cathedral and this also acts as a marker of the edge of the city itself.

It doesn’t matter how many years you practise architecture, the scale of the finished project always takes you by surprise. Severn Trent with its impact and visibility is part of the new high quality city centre that Coventry is developing.

ted PearceDirector of property Severn trentBecause Severn Trent was

established through the amalgamation of other water businesses, we ended up in 10 locations scattered randomly around the Midlands motorway box. This legacy didn’t allow us to express ourselves as a company.

In fact, we estimated that we always had 15 people sitting in cars going between our buildings at any one time for meetings, which was a real waste. We made the decision to move in spring 2007 and I have been overseeing the project since then.

Initially, we considered parts of the East Midlands, Leicester and Nottingham and then examined more closely the triangle from Coventry down to Warwick and back up to Birmingham. We had a very good look at what was available and there were a number of credible sites.

There were several reasons why Coventry stood out. Firstly, the city council’s excellent attitude and its desire to attract investment shone out above its peers. Coventry University and Warwick Business School are very impressive. As a company we were keen to develop our green transport strategy and Coventry is really good in that respect and, finally, we wanted to settle in a location

that was accessible to the city centre and for our staff.In the original tranche of 1,350 staff, only 50 didn’t

move across. A lot of time was devoted to addressing people’s concerns with open days, a DVD of the journey from Birmingham to Coventry and an online orientation page.

We wanted a very people oriented building that would boost both recruitment and retention, along with diversity and efficiency. It was crucial that our new home was an environmentally responsible building, as far as possible. We didn’t want the bricks and mortar equivalent of a gas guzzler.

Anecdotally, efficiency is up – it’s somewhat intangible and difficult to judge, but now we are all under one roof you get those chance meetings with people rather than having to schedule diary time.

The building has a really good atmosphere, it’s welcoming and on a nice scale, not at all austere. It feels like your place to work and people identify with it.

Mel Halligan Senior administrator Severn trentWhen the move to Coventry was announced, my first thought was,

‘I need to get a new job!’ Despite living fairly close to Coventry, I had never been to the city before we moved. I don’t know why, I guess I’m not very adventurous!

I used to get a lift when we were located in the Sheldon office and it only took 15 minutes. Now I get the bus to Birmingham and then the train from Birmingham to Coventry. The journey hasn’t been too bad and takes about an hour.

Coventry is much nicer than I thought it would be. The city centre is great, there’s a good variety of shops and the cathedral. And the people are friendly. Now, I take my nieces to Coventry at the weekend because the shopping centre is fantastic – before we would have gone to Birmingham.

The building is fabulous and such a pleasure to work in. You can hot desk, there are drop in rooms, a quiet area, the cafe’s lovely and it has a great feel to it. That’s why I’m prepared to have a longer journey to get to work.

Now that we all work in the same building, if I need to speak to someone in another department, I just pop down to that floor – no more need for internal mail which used to take days.

14318_Goodman_AD_UKL_LyonsPark_CentralCityMagazine_AW.indd 1-2 15/02/2011 10:45

http://www.lyonspark.com

TheHerbert

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1 Earlsdon Park: office, residential, leisure and retail

2 Belgrade Plaza: hotel, retail and leisure

3 Friargate: retail and leisure (p34)

4 Severn Trent: office5 Far Gosford Street: retail and

office (opposite page)6 Swanswell Initiative:

residential, leisure and education

7 Coventry University: higher education (p37)

8 No 1 Bishops Place: office, retail and residential

9, 9a & 9b City Centre: retail, leisure, residential and office

10 Cheylesmore: office Potential sites

© Crown Copyright All rights reserved 100026294 (2010)

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© Crown Copyright All rights reserved 100026294 (2010)


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Project update

We look at some of the developments under way or coming on stream in Coventry: who isregenerating the city – where, when and how

Far Gosford StreetThe planning of the dramatic regeneration of Far Gosford Street is central to transforming Coventry into a 21st century city. Located on the edge of Coventry city centre, Far Gosford Street was once the medieval eastward route out of the city, and one of the earliest suburbs. Far Gosford Street’s buildings spring from architectural periods between the 16th and 20th centuries.

FarGo – the Far Gosford Street regeneration programme – is creating exciting investment opportunities for small creative businesses in Coventry and beyond. At the heart of Far Gosford Street – which was declared a conservation area in 1992 – stands the Hand and Heart pub and a cluster of neighbouring Grade II listed buildings.

The timber-framed pub has been restored so it can offer new residential space, as well as a restaurant for residents and visitors.

Next to the Hand and Heart stands the Creative Hub, a newly opened focus for businesses, residents and visitors to receive business support, host meetings and obtain information on local history and creative activities.

The work done so far has created a high quality benchmark for the remaining work on Far Gosford Street. Plans include a new hotel near the Sky Blue Way roundabout, new housing, a centre for digital media businesses and the re-vamping of an old industrial estate for creative enterprises.

Police, the council and local businesses are also working closely together to enhance community safety and as part of this, are installing CCTV cameras. The overall aim is for Far Gosford Street to rival London’s Brick Lane as a vibrant home for independent shops, new media and creative enterprises, a favourite place for students to enjoy.

Complex Development Projects (CDP) is building office premises in Far Gosford Street. The Scala building will bring around 50 new jobs to the area and is already attracting interest from businesses in the IT and creative sectors. It will complete the trio of projects that make up the £3.5 million first phase of the FarGo initiative.

The Scala building, designed by city-based architects IDP and Birmingham-based PCPT, will feature up to six

office units in its three storeys. It is being built on the site of the former Scala cinema.

Restoration of the adjoining Hand and Heart pub and the timber framed 121-124 were completed at the end of 2009 and the Scala office is the final part of this phase. The other buildings are already almost fully occupied.

Ian Harrabin, managing director of CDP, said: “We’ve designed the building in an arts and crafts style to reflect the era of the cinema which was demolished in the 1960s. It’s a key site as it is right in the heart of the area and helps repair past damage to the street.

“We decided to get on with it despite the financial climate as demand in the street has meant that we have no space left to offer,” he added. “Businesses really seem to like the creative vibe and proximity to the university.”

LeFt anD main: FarGo – a bohemian corner of Coventry.

projects


FriargateFriargate is a major 10-15 year redevelopment of a huge, under-used 15-hectare site next to Coventry’s Main Line train station, which will connect the south of the city to the city centre.

The Friargate scheme, designed by architects Allies and Morrison, has secured planning permission for a development totalling 300,000sq m. This will include Grade A office space, two hotels, homes, bars, restaurants and shops, all set around a newly fashioned public square, establishing a distinct neighbourhood close to the city centre, which is reached by new pedestrian routes.

Friargate, bounded by Station Square, Manor Road, Warwick Road, Greyfriars Green and Grosvenor Road, with its commercial focus and mixed-use activities, is anticipated to act as a point of interest to attract further inward investment.

Friargate’s previously fragmented land ownership is no longer an obstacle to developing an area that boasts its own train station on the West Coast Main Line with train services reaching London in less than an hour. “That connectivity means the sight of the city centre will greet visitors to Coventry when they arrive at the station,” says David Cockroft, assistant director for Coventry City Council’s City Centre and Development Services.

“ It’s an opportunity for us to stimulate pride in the city for the next 10, 15 and 20 years”martin reeveSChief executive, Coventry City Council

When it is developed, Friargate will transform rail passengers first impressions of the city.


Olympics at Ricoh ArenaThe selection of the Ricoh Arena, the home of Coventry City Football Club, as the host venue in the Midlands for football matches during the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, is an honour for Coventry – and the unique opportunity to showcase the city as a location to live, work and invest.

The 32,500-capacity Ricoh, by virtue of its selection to host qualifying matches by the Games’ organising committee – and also its status as a Rugby World Cup 2015 venue – is now confirmed as one of the country’s top stadiums.

“The Ricoh, and the development around it, is a great symbol of the city’s physical, social and economic regeneration,” said Martin Reeves, chief executive of Coventry City Council. “This is about much more than a few great football matches. It’s an opportunity for us to stimulate pride in the city for the next 10, 15 and 20 years.”

David Moorcroft, a former Olympian and Coventry born and bred, is the chair of the West Midlands Leadership Group for the 2012 Games. He said: “It is a real boost for Coventry as it will bring real economic benefit as the Olympic teams and their fans will visit the city. I am delighted to see my home town identified as a venue.”

The Ricoh, home of Championship club Coventry City, will be temporarily re-named the City of Coventry Stadium during the 2012 Games, as required by the International Olympic Committee.

Hugh Robertson, Minister for Sport and the Olympics, said: “Sitting at the heart of the Midlands, the City of Coventry Stadium is ideally located for thousands of people to come and watch the London 2012 football competition.”

Olympic teams will also use excellent training facilities at nearby Warwick University.

Coventry’s Olympic links go further – several local enterprises have been awarded Games-related contracts. The city centre has also been designated as a London 2012 Live Site venue; a big screen will be installed at Coventry Transport Museum so people can watch other Olympic events live. Godiva Awakes, a major Coventry arts project, will be part of the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad.

And it’s a significant year in other ways: Coventry will also celebrate the 50th anniversary of the consecration of the city’s famous cathedral. Themes of peace and reconciliation will chime with similar ideals upheld by the Olympic movement.

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11

of delegates at SocInvest 2010

said the event met their objectives

“extremely well” or “well”.

75%said the coverage of regeneration

issues was “extremely good”

or “good”.

76%said they took away ideas and

information that would help

them with funding initiatives.

69%

� e premier regeneration fi nance and funding event

took place in London on June 16, 2010,

attended by 160 senior regeneration executives

from the public and private sectors across

the UK.

Comments included:“Good selection of

speakers and issues covered”

“Flowed well and kept interest going all day”

“Excellent day - great mix of subjects and

speakers”

SocInvest returns in 2011 for the fourth year running. Can you aff ord

to miss out?

Keep track of the developing programme at www.SocInvest.co.ukand subscribe there to

the monthly newsletter and research projects.

http://www.socinvest.co.uk


projects

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Coventry UniversityCoventry University, as a leading centre of learning, is committed to furthering the city’s regeneration by contributing to the built environment, economic prosperity and social wellbeing.

The university’s development framework and estates strategy seeks to redevelop its 8-hectare campus, investing £100 million over 10 years.

The university is also building a new central venue for all student related activity which will be called the Hub. This new building, overlooking Jordan Well and University Square, will house the students’ union, a learning centre, retail, recreation and catering facilities.

A new, state-of-the-art, consolidated Engineering and Computing Building on Gulson Road will become an important local and regional centre for these professions, incorporating workshops, test facilities, laboratories, classrooms and meeting areas. Featuring two L-shaped blocks, representing science and nature, its green roof will maximise daylight usage to keep carbon emission low.

David Soutter, deputy vice chancellor at the university, said: “This building will be a real landmark and fantastic asset for the city. It will raise to new levels our services to industry, as well as providing excellent teaching to our students.”

beLow: Exterior of the student block by night.

above: The new Engineering and Computing Building, with its green roofs.

LeFt: Light and space: the interior of the Hub.


projects

Manufacturing Technology CentreGreat innovations are predicted to come from the Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC) at the Ansty Park technology and research site near the M6 motorway. The main building is scheduled to be completed in April this year.

The £130 million private-public investment over 10 years will see a convergence of academia and industry, with at least 100 technical specialists testing new techniques in the fields of aerospace, automotive, energy, electronics and heavy-duty construction.

Moreover, for every £1 invested the MTC will return a very laudable £46, according to economic impact assessments. The MTC is expected to create or safeguard 2,100 jobs, bolster 625 businesses and generate £5.5 billion for the UK economy.

MTC’s chief executive Dr Clive Hickman formerly worked for Indian automotive giant Tata Motors, which recently acquired Jaguar Land Rover from Ford. He views MTC as playing a major role in bringing manufacturing back to the forefront of the UK economy. “The role of the Manufacturing Technology Centre is to take the scientific inventions and convert that into viable manufacturing opportunities,” he told the Coventry Telegraph. “We have come up with some great ideas from universities but for many reasons have failed to bring them into production

in this country. Britain needs a strong manufacturing base to remain competitive internationally.”

Prestigious research partners – the universities of Birmingham, Nottingham and Loughborough – have joined industrial partners such as Rolls-Royce, Aero Engine Controls, Airbus UK and global materials joining specialists, TWI Limited, as the MTC’s partnership operators.

Research projects, including assembly, advanced tooling and intelligent automation, are already under way and will be tested at the MTC, once Morgan Sindall completes construction of the steel-framed building in spring 2011.

Dr Hamid Mughal, Rolls-Royce executive vice president, said: “Work has already started with our partners on exciting research projects which will help the competitiveness of manufacturing in this country and we look forward to these transferring to the MTC.”

above: Plans for the Manufacturing Technology Centre.

riGHt: The first phases of Ansty Park are open for business.

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housing


C ompanies, both large and small, have cottoned on to Coventry’s attractive offer as a well-connected, diverse base for business. In the last few years, industry giants such as Severn Trent and Barclays Bank have set up shop here, making the most of access to the M40

corridor, the London rail commute in under an hour and the skilled population fed by several universities.

Until recently, it seemed the relocating employees were less keen to live in the city, choosing neighbouring areas, such as Leamington or Warwick instead. Local estate agents now discover, however, that people are starting to see Coventry with fresh and informed eyes, and want to take advantage of its competitive house prices.

While the memory of the devastation that the Second World War bombing brought to Coventry can never be undone, there are many undeniably beautiful areas to live in the city. The quiet leafiness of tree-lined Kenilworth Road is where a company executive might relax in a £1 million, detached six-bedroom villa with swimming pool and half an acre of land. Or a Victorian three-bed, semi-detached on Hearsall Common, bursting with character features, that a family could snap up for around £200,000. First-time buyers are also well catered for, with

A healthy and diverse economy is helping to keep Coventry’s housing market on a reassuringly even keel. With substantial regeneration plans set to impact on house prices in the next few years, Charlotte Goodworth finds that there has never been a better time to buy in this cosmopolitan city

Desirable dwellings

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contemporary apartments starting at around £100,000. Period properties can still be found, such as those in the cosy cobbled streets around the cathedral ruins.

David Hives, sales manager for Brian Holt estate agents, said: “The most popular areas tend to be in the south, which is closer to Kenilworth and Leamington, encompassing areas such as Stivichall, Finham, Green Lane and Earlsdon. They’re also close to open countryside and the infrastructure is very good in terms of accessibility to the A45 and the A46, linking through to the M6, M1 and the M40. We sell to commuters who use the M40 and commute from the south. In the west, it’s closer to Birmingham, and the popular areas include Allesley, Broad Lane and Eastern Green.”

Harvey Williams, West Midlands and Coventry and Warwickshire regional spokesman for the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), and a former national housing spokesman for the organisation, explains the recession’s impact on the city’s housing market: “We’ve been stabilising for the last nine months in Coventry, in the face of difficulties within the housing market generally. We’ve now got a cross section, far more than we had 20 years ago. Industry was the main employment but we’ve now got a more diverse skill set.”

Williams points out the significance of Jaguar Land Rover’s Coventry-based research and development department, Peugeot’s high-profile headquarters and Severn Trent’s development, employing 1,700 people in the city. Their commitment sends out a strong message to other corporations and revitalises the housing market. There is a wealth of new developments scattered across Coventry, many of which are springing up on former car manufacturing sites. Hives offers a snapshot: “On the west side, the former Massey Ferguson plant has been totally demolished and there’s a large new development there called Bannerbrook Park by Bryant Homes. That’s a few

Coventry housinG developments.

mowbray manor by Bloor homes.

location: Tile Hill Lane, Tile Hillprice band: £149,950 - £350,000 including HomeBuy Direct schemestype: Two-, three- and four-bed houses

the Boulevard by taylor Wimpey.

location: Stokeprice band: £64,496 to around £180,000 including a shared equity schemetype: One-bed apartments to four-bed houses

swallows nest by taylor Wimpey.

location: former Jaguar Cars site, Allesley

Outline planning consent for 175 dwellings, detailed planning application submitted to Coventry City Council for 144 plots

spirit Quarters by Whitefriars housing Group with BKW.

location: Wood End, Henley Green, Manor Farm and Deedmoreprice band: £85,000 to £170,000type: Up to 3328 mixed tenure two-, three- and four-bed homes

ABove: Taylor Wimpey will build homes on a former Jaguar Cars site.

AverAGe house priCes*.

detached: £263,061.

semi-detached: £142,623.

terraced: £100,149.

maisonette/Flat: £89,167.

All: £113,562.

*Source: Land Registry – September 2010

housing


thousand homes, about a third completed and they’re all sold and occupied. They range from two-bed terraces from £140,000, to five-bed detached at £350,000. There are also apartments, with some offered on affordable schemes for just over £100,000.

“A large new development on the east in the Stoke area is being developed on the former Peugeot site. This will be from 1,200 to 1,800 units and work has begun. They start from £100,000 to £200,000 and offer a mixture of apartments and two- to three-bed houses.

“There will be more city centre apartments coming on stream in the next couple of years. Both will be centred close to the railway station and prices will be between £150,000 and £250,000.”

Valerie Spain, branch manager for Connells estate agents, comments: “Coventry’s market caters for almost every need, from students seeking cheaper rental accommodation to families looking for larger properties outside the city centre. The inner city area has a lot of purpose-built flats, which are perfect for first-time buyers and young professionals. Coventry also has a good supply of social housing, from rented to shared-equity, which can help buyers get on the property ladder.”

Coventry City Council exceeded its target for affordable housing in 2009/10, delivering 312 units, as well as more than 500 new dwellings in total.

Whitefriars Housing Group is leading the partnership to develop Spirit Quarters, transforming Wood End, Henley Green, Manor Farm and Deedmore in northeast Coventry, which is within minutes of the M6 and M69, University Hospital Coventry and the Ricoh Arena.

The £360 million redevelopment spans 12 to 15 years. Partners include Coventry City Council, Whitefriars,

Coventry New Deal for Communities(NDC), Moat House Community Trust and developer consortium BKW: Bovis Homes, Keepmoat Homes and Westbury Partnerships. Kevin Roach, Whitefriars’ project director, said “This massive project affects a community of 7,000 people, with up to 3,328 new homes being built. It aims to deliver a mixed tenure, mixed income community,

set within high quality public realm. It builds on the foundations already laid by the NDC programme that has delivered new infrastructure of three new schools, a leisure and neighbourhood centre and Moat House Park. Spirit Quarters will be an exemplar of physical, economic and social regeneration.”

Coventry offers a good quality of life to its residents and those thinking of relocating. There are six excellent independent schools in the city. Bands such as Take That perform at the Ricoh Arena – also nominated as an Olympic 2012 venue. The new Belgrade Plaza offers major chain restaurants, while there are

several cinemas and two shopping centres. And there is tourism, with Coventry Transport Museum and the historic cathedral attracting visitors.

“In 2009 there was a shortage of properties so prices increased,” explains Hives. “Now more properties are coming onto the market, so supply has increased. It’s more of a buyers’ market and prices have hardened. We had the abolition of home information packs (HIPs), which has helped more people with the view of coming onto the market. I think it’s going to remain relatively stable for the next 12 to 18 months and then I see a large pick-up and a goodly increase in house prices. With what is in the pipeline for Coventry and with the economy generally, it will only carry on improving.”

“ There will be more city centre apartments coming on stream in the next couple of years”

mAin imAGe: Swallows Nest could feature similar Taylor Wimpey homes.

inset leFt: One- to four-bed homes at The Boulevard, Stoke.

inset riGht: Waterfront eco homes at Electric Wharf by CDP.

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Making a difference

Working in Partnership toRegenerate CoventryOrbit Heart of England owns and managesover 13,000 homes.We are investing £50meach year in regeneration and new homes.

Orbit can offer• 40 years of experience developing and

regenerating the Midlands.• Long-term neighbourhood management

and community development.• Quality services across the region

provided by local teams.• Over 1,300 homes in Coventry managed

from our Coventry office.• Commitment to working in partnership

to improve the quality of life forcommunities.

www.orbit.org.ukTo find out more about how Orbit can work with

you to Build Brighter Futures contact:

Chris JonesDivisional Development Director

[email protected]

Housing Corporation Reg. No. L4526 Industrial and Provident Societies Act, 1965. Registered No. 30446R (Exempt Charity)Heart of England Housing Association Ltd. Registered Office: 10 Greenhill Street, Stratford-upon-Avon,Warks, CV37 6LG

Orbit Heart of England Association is an exempt charity and part of the Orbit Group

G7343 Regeneration/Investment Advert 9/2/09 17:17 Page 1

http://www.orbit.org.uk

my coventry


Developer Ian Harrabin was a teenager in Coventry in the late 1970s at the same time as ska band The Specials were putting the city on the pop music map. The home-grown band’s number one hit

Ghost Town summed up the tough urban environment of the city during that era. As Harrabin remembers: “Coventry had suffered a massive loss of manufacturing jobs – it was a tough city.”

Over the past 30 years, Coventry has been transformed – a change where Harrabin, currently managing director of development company Complex Development Projects (CDP), has played his part. Throughout his career, Harrabin has been involved with some of the major regeneration projects in the city, guided by his passion for preserving its historical heritage.

Harrabin grew up as the son of the founder of haulage and building company WH Harrabin & Sons. He describes hanging around his father’s workshop as a child and his idea of a weekend treat was to visit construction

sites around the city. He says: “From an early age, I was aware of the buildings that the city had lost – during my first year of university I was objecting to planning applications that involved demolishing Victorian mock Tudor buildings.”

After gaining a degree in land management at Reading University, Harrabin got a job in London, as assistant to the managing director at Capital & Counties plc, then one of the biggest property companies in the UK. He says: “It was a steep learning curve. In my first week I was attending a meeting with Rocco Forte, talking about plans for a hotel in Bermuda. I was told to keep quiet and take notes.” At the firm, Harrabin gained valuable experience in the restoration of historic buildings during the early days of the regeneration of the capital’s Docklands area.

In the mid 1980s, Harrabin moved to a new firm, Inner City Enterprises plc. The company was set up by City institutions to invest in deprived areas across the UK. One of his first projects was in Brixton shortly after the

Son of the cityManaging director of Complex Development Projects (CDP) and a native Coventrian, Ian Harrabin, talks to Colin Marrs about the opportunities opening up for the city

above and far left: Coventry’s precious heritage: CDP took great care to preserve the medieval buildings in Far Gosford Street.

left: Ian Harrabin: passionate about historic Coventry.

right: With restoration completed, occupiers were quick to move in.


1985 riots. Harrabin says: “This was a time when everyone else was moving out of the area, but we rebuilt a building opposite the tube and persuaded the Body Shop and Our Price to move in, where they did a roaring trade.”

With Inner City Enterprises, Harrabin was able to bring his regeneration expertise to bear on his home city. He helped put together the masterplan for the Foleshill Enterprise Park, and restored the timber framed buildings at Castle Yard, attracting Pizza Express as a tenant. The firm also developed a plan to restore traditional buildings and streets in the Cathedral Lanes area, but its bid lost out to that of a rival, which then went on to create the shopping centre that currently sits on the site.

In 1998 Harrabin set up his own company, CDP. As managing director of the firm, he has been able to get deeply involved in a number of new projects in Coventry. He says: “I am very passionate about Coventry and have spent a lot of time – sometimes too much time – devoted to this city’s historic buildings. Having that background means that this company’s aims are more than purely financial.”

Name any recent regeneration project in the city and there is a good chance Harrabin has been involved with it. The Phoenix project, which was short-listed for the prestigious Stirling Prize for architecture, created a series of public spaces linking the city’s historical buildings. As part of the scheme, CDP’s Ribbon Factory development restored a Victorian building and created a restaurant and six loft apartments. The firm’s Priory Place development demonstrated that good, modern architecture could sit happily alongside the historical buildings.

Another restoration project, at Electric Wharf, has seen the transformation of Coventry’s first power station, dating from 1896. Harrabin had been involved in pioneering the live-work concept in Birmingham, and has now brought it to Coventry through this scheme. In October 2010, Electric Wharf beat Birmingham’s renowned Mailbox and Bullring schemes to scoop “outstanding place of the decade” in the West Midlands.

Despite these successes, Harrabin says the city’s rebirth is far from complete, and he has no intention of resting

on his laurels. His firm is currently the council’s partner in the regeneration of Far Gosford Street. This historic street is the city’s new creative quarter and the project has already proved popular with Coventry’s bohemian set. He says: “There are a lot of creative people in Coventry but they are not seen at the moment. We are hoping to create an area similar to [London’s] Camden or Hoxton.”

Despite the financial downturn, Harrabin is extraordinarily upbeat about his city’s potential. He says that, in

contrast to the Ghost Town days, Coventry is now one of the safest urban centres in the country.

And even in this climate of austerity and government cuts, recent changes to European funding rules mean there is likely to be more money available for heritage projects in coming years.

Harrabin says: “We are helping the council to stitch the city back together and rectifying some of the mistakes that were made after World War II. The chance we have today is not to flatten everything all over again but to keep the best of what we have.”

“ We are hoping to create an area similar to Camden or Hoxton”

“ I have spent a lot of time devoted to this city’s historic buildings”

CONTACTS


Get in touch

For more information about Coventry’s regeneration contact:

2 Martin Yardley 024 7683 1200 [email protected]

2 David Cockroft 024 7683 1201 [email protected]

2 Déirdre Fitzhugh 024 7683 1228 [email protected]

C

M

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CM

MY

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CMY

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CCC-Central-City-2011-hires2.pdf 26/1/11 15:52:09

http://www.coventry.gov.uk/business

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central city #5

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