Issue - meetings

Report of the Executive Director of Place

The Cabinet considered a report of the Executive Director of Place, which sought approval of the City Centre Area Action Plan for a period of public consultation.

The Cabinet note that the development of a successful City Centre was an essential component of promoting the growth and prosperity of Coventry.  For many visitors, investors, business and local people the City Centre was a gateway to Coventry that represented their principal location for work, learning, leisure and shopping.  It offered a fantastic opportunity to exploit the City’s historic assets, rich 20th century heritage and showpiece innovative 21st century buildings and public realm, which together would create a unique city centre environment. The City Centre Area Action Plan, attached as Appendix 1 to the report submitted, set out how this could be promoted and achieved.

At a time when Coventry’s population continued to grow, its city centre would continue to be a focal point, but must respond in order to stop a period of decline, primarily within its retail offer. This was placed in context through the Council’s Shopping and Centres Study (2014), which identified Coventry as the country’s 13^th biggest city but with a retail centre ranked 58th.  As such, there was a clear disparity between the City’s population and the quality of its retail offer.

In recent years however, significant investment in city centre public realm improvements had complemented substantial investments in job creation such as the new Severn Trent head offices and hi-tech business at the University Technology Park.  Likewise, more people were now living in the city centre following delivery of new homes over the last 10 years.  Coventry University also continued to grow, not only in terms of its student numbers, but also its national and global reputation and the size and quality of its campus.

The Area Action Plan looked to build upon these recent successes and provide a platform for the future to help guide and deliver new developments and investment.  It included well known and established proposals such as Friargate, City Centre South and the completion of Belgrade Plaza, but also introduced new ideas and aspirations.  For example, new residential led regeneration around the area north of Corporation Street and Fairfax Street, continued growth of the Technology Park, new approaches to city centre parking provision and longer term aspirations for the regeneration of the northern half of the City’s retail area.

In addition to new buildings, the Area Action Plan provided a fundamental focus on urban and landscape design, environmental quality, protection of historic assets, green infrastructure, water courses and new routes and linkages helping people move around the city centre and its adjoining areas in an easier and more coherent way.  These aspects would all be fundamental in continuing to improve the overall feel and safety of the city centre and the quality of its built environment.

The development of an Area Action Plan was therefore essential to help provide a clear overview of how all these different aspects could work  ...  view the full minutes text for item 105