Issue - meetings

Report of the Executive Director of Place

The Cabinet considered a report of the Executive Director of Place, which would also be considered the Council on 11^th October 2016, that sought authorisation of a new and additional Public Realm programme of works and to enter into Local Growth Deal funding agreements.

Since 2011 the City Council had delivered over £33M public realm improvements in Coventry City Centre.  Schemes such as Broadgate, Council House Square, Gosford Street and the route from Bull Yard to the railway station had transformed the city’s environment, provided more green space and created a more attractive city for residents, businesses and visitors to enjoy. Phase 3 of the public realm improvements was completed earlier this year, using European Regional Development Fund and Local Growth Deal grant, along with some private investment to deliver improvements, including to the route between Coventry University campus and the city centre, Far Gosford Street, Lidice Place, Belgrade Plaza and Whittle Arch.

The impact of this work had been significant, attracting developers to invest in the city such as Shearers Property Group who cited the improvements to Broadgate as part of the reason they took the decision to invest to transform Cathedral Lanes into a vibrant restaurant quarter, with plans for further investment for phase 2 which was set to commence shortly. Broadgate continued to host popular events, from farmers markets to concerts and exhibitions which attracted visitors into the city centre. An increasing number of the city’s bars and restaurants were taking the opportunity to provide more outdoor seating areas to enable people to sit out and enjoy the newly improved urban and green spaces. Footfall in the City Centre during the evening was up 23%, well above the national average.

The Council had successfully secured £1.9M Local Growth Deal funds from Coventry and Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership (CWLEP) to deliver Phase 4 of city centre public realm improvements. The investment would focus on delivery of high quality schemes as per previous schemes in the city centre within the funding available.

To ensure that the public realm programme could be delivered within the available budget, a priority order for the schemes was proposed. A pipeline of public realm schemes had been established in priority order for investment:

·  Transformation of Greyfriars Lane, Pepper Lane and relocation of the Coventry Cross to help unlock phase 2 of the Cathedral Lanes redevelopment and improve links to the Cathedral, through the creation of high quality attractive route;

·  Improvements to the public realm in Fairfax Street;

·  Funding to undertake feasibility studies for improvements at J4 and J5 of the ring road;

·  Introduction of more public art into the city centre, including the reinstatement of local pieces in locations to be decided;

·  Improvements to West Orchards Car Park Access, which will be match funded by West Orchards.

And if funding allowed:

·  Work to improve city centre coach parking facilities;

·  Improvements to the cobbles in Cuckoo Lane, following on from the previous Hill Top improvements;

·  Enhance the area on Corporation Street  ...  view the full minutes text for item 41