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Nearly 1,000 homes approved for Coventry city centre regeneration
The first phase of a 1,550-home regeneration project in Coventry city centre has been granted planning permission.
Last week, Coventry City Council approved 991 new homes as part of the City Centre South project, alongside 8,000 sqm of commercial space and 17,000 sqm of public open space.
The regeneration is being delivered by Shearer Property Regen, which is a joint venture between house builder Hill Group and commercial property company Shearer Property Group.
In total, the regeneration scheme has an estimated value of £450m and is expected to provide up to 1,550 homes.
The West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) has invested £100m into the project, which aims to attract families, first-time buyers and down-sizers back into the city centre.
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The homes delivered during phase one will range from studio properties to three-bed homes. Two hundred of the homes will be affordable housing, split between 145 for social rent and 55 for shared ownership. The remaining 791 homes will be for private sale and rent.
Most of the affordable allocation will be in the first two buildings being delivered, Hill Group said.
The new homes will be split across a series of four buildings from five to 19 storeys. They will incorporate photovoltaic panels, green roofs, low-energy lighting, water-saving fixtures and connection to a district heating system.
All homes will have a balcony or terrace, as well as access to communal gardens, roof terraces and squares.
An archaeological survey is set to begin this month, which will seek to identify any archaeological remains, including the position of the historic City Wall in Shelton Square and Bull Yard. Demolition is scheduled to start later this year, with the first homes expected to be completed in early 2027.
Andy Hill, group chief executive of Hill Group, said: “We will make the vision of high-quality homes in an integrated and attractive community a reality, breathing new life into the city centre and elevating Coventry as a leading location within the West Midlands.”
Guy Shearer, managing director of Shearer Property Group, said: “City Centre South will create a vibrant new quarter for the city, with an eclectic mix of the latest shops, bars and restaurants, an exciting environment for the homes above.”
Jim O’Boyle, cabinet member for jobs, regeneration and climate change at Coventry Council, said the news is “another step in the right direction”.
He added: “This development will create a new community in the city centre, including much-needed affordable and social homes. This investment, led by the private sector, will create a thriving, bustling new area with plenty of people living at the heart of it and supporting shops, restaurants and leisure attractions, as well as creating jobs for local people.”
West midlands mayor Andy Street said: “The go-ahead for the first phase of this exciting scheme is great news for Coventry. It will transform a large but outdated part of the city into a vibrant new district for people to live, work and have fun.”
Earlier this month, Mr Street pledged to set out a numerical commitment for social housing in his manifesto in order to create “a new hope” for the tenure.
In a speech to the Switchee Summit in Dudley, the mayor said that quickening the pace of social housing development was the only way that the “scourge of temporary accommodation” could be properly tackled across the region.
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