Agenda and minutes

There were no declarations of interest.

a)  To agree the minutes of the meeting held on 11 August, 2025

b)  Matters arising

The Minutes of the meeting held on 11 August 2025 were agreed and signed as a true record.

There were no matters arising.

Report of the Director of Regeneration and Economy

The Cabinet Member for Housing and Communities considered a report of the Director of Regeneration and Economy to consider the commencement of public consultation to consider The Astoria Cinema and Spigot Mortar off Shilton Lane for inclusion on the Local List of heritage assets.

The report stated that the City Council has an established process for the nomination of additions to the Local List of Heritage Assets, available to the public via the authority’s website. Having received the two nominations, both were found to be valid and public consultation was recommended to further inform decision making.

Following a presentation from officers, the Shadow Cabinet Member, Councillor R Bailey, sent in a statement in support of the recommendations. The Cabinet Member, Councillor N Akhtar, reiterated these comments recognising these two sites as important cultural, social and historical assets.

RESOLVED that the Cabinet Member for Housing and Communities:

1)  Approves the commencement of public consultation to consider The Astoria Cinema and Spigot Mortar off Shilton Lane for inclusion on the Local List of heritage assets.

2)  Delegates authority to Head of Planning Policy and Environment, following consultation with the Cabinet Member for Housing and Communities, to finalise the details of public consultation (including the period of consultation) in line with established processes.

Report of the Director of Regeneration and Economy

The Cabinet Member for Housing and Communities considered a report of the Director of Regeneration and Economy to consider the commencement of public consultation on a revised Shop Front Design Guide SPD and emerging Design Codes for Coventry as previously committed through the adopted Local Development Scheme (LDS).

As outlined in the report, SPDs (Supplementary Planning Documents) provide guidance for development on specific sites, or on particular issues. This SPD is a comprehensive review and updating of the 2014 Design Guidance on Shopfronts for Conservation Areas and Historic Buildings and will provide clear guidance for applicants considering works to retail shopfronts across the City. Resultantly, the quality of retail frontages can have a significant qualitative effect upon the character and quality of streets across the City.

Additionally, the report highlighted the legislative context of design codes within the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act (LURA) 2023 to provide residents with the opportunity to highlight what they view as important design characteristics and how they perceive their local context. The findings of the consultation would then inform the future progress and structure of the Design Code process.

Further to the officers’ report, the Cabinet Member sought assurances on the role of the SDP in improving the quality of shop frontages. Additionally, the Deputy Cabinet Member for Housing and Communities, Councillor S Agboola, highlighted the importance of balancing economic growth with shop design and the character of the city.

It was noted that the report was also being considered by the Communities and Neighbourhoods Scrutiny Board (4) on the 29^th January, 2026.

RESOLVED that the Cabinet Member for Housing and Communities:

1)  Approves the commencement of public consultation on the Draft Shop Front Design Guide SPD as detailed in Appendix 1 of this report.

2)  Approves the commencement of the first stage of consultation of the Coventry Design Code process as detailed in Appendix 2 of this report.

3)  Delegates authority to Head of Planning Policy and Environment, following consultation with the Cabinet Member for Housing and Communities:

a)  to finalise the details of public consultation (including the period of consultation) in line with established processes; and

b)  make any necessary minor editing changes to the Draft Shop Front Design Guide SPD and Coventry Design Code questionnaire prior to consultation.

There are no outstanding issues

There were no outstanding issues.

There were no other items of business.