Coventry Canal Basin ring road bridge to be demolished

[dutchman]

A well-known landmark in Coventry city centre is set to disappear after planning bosses received a £7.5million grant from Europe.



The Canal Basin Bridge is lined up to be demolished after Coventry City Council secured money from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

Council bosses will use the grant to fund improvements to pedestrian access to the city centre – including at junction one of the ring road where a new pedestrian crossing will replace the existing Canal Basin bridge.

It would tie in with the long-awaited Bishop Gate plan to overhaul the derelict Royal Mail sorting offices, in Bishop Street.

Further changes are planned in the city centre at Broadgate/Hertford Street, Gosford Street, Belgrade Plaza and Lidice Place during the next 18 months.

Additional funding will be provided through government funds Growing Places and Growth Deal, along with money from the Coventry Investment Fund, The Coventry and Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership and over £3.5m from the private sector.

Coun Rachel Lancaster, council cabinet member for public services, said: “The securing of a further £7.5m of external European funding is another welcome boost for the continued redevelopment of the public areas throughout the city centre.

“We have been hugely successful in securing ERDF Funding for projects across the whole of Coventry and we are determined to give residents a city they can be proud of.

“Having the right infrastructure for residents and business in place is vital for this continued transformation and growth.

“The additional funding for these projects ensures that we are able to both regenerate these sites and enable us to link up the work that has already taken place in the city centre – a city centre that now looks and feels so much more vibrant and visitor friendly.”

To date, Coventry has been awarded almost £19m from the ERDF.

[dutchman]

This is the stupidest idea I've seen in a long time!

It's hard enough trying to cross the Butts Road via two sets of lights and a pedestrian island.

[rebbonk]

I have come to the conclusion that councillor Lancaster is a bit thick and ought to stand down

[dutchman]

Coventry's road boss: Removal of Canal Basin bridge will be safe

The councillor in charge of Coventry’s roads has sought to calm safety fears over the removal of a landmark bridge.

Coventry City Council recently announced plans to demolish the Canal Basin bridge as part of plans to redevelop junction one of the city’s ring road and join up the area with a promised overhaul of the old Royal Mail sorting offices, in Bishop Street.

News of the planned bridge removal prompted many people to raise safety concerns over the plans. But Coun Rachel Lancaster, the council’s head of public services, said safety would be a priority when making any changes.

She said: “If there were any doubts about the safety of this crossing we wouldn’t even be considering it.

“We want to be an accessible city. The existing bridge isn’t accessible, there are large ramps on both sides.

“This new crossing will increase accessibility, especially for people with disabilities and cyclists.

“The toucan crossing lights will be synchronised with the junction lights, so people will only have one set of lights to wait for.”

As part of the junction redesign, the existing roundabout will be lengthened, preventing anti-clockwise travelling traffic exiting straight onto the Foleshill Road.

The new plans also include replacing the road outside the Coventry Telegraph offices with a pedestrian-only area, and a link between the main ring road and Leicester Row.

Coun Lancaster said: “We want to get people out of their cars and walking.

“For that to happen, we need interesting places to walk. By opening up this area we will create a fantastic vista of the city centre and the three spires.”

She also dismissed any sentimental attachment to the bridge: “When people think of Coventry, they don’t think of the canal bridge. They think of Lady Godiva and the cathedral – they are iconic.”

The plans are still in the draft stage at present and are subject to more funding being secured, with an announcement expected next month.

If funding is secured, the plans will go out to public consultation and work on the area could begin as early as March 2015.

That should be just in time for the completion of the lengthy roadworks currently being undertaken at junction six as part of the Friargate project.

[rebbonk]

This is the same councillor Lancaster who refuses to listen to public opinion about bus lanes.

I'd like to know why this silly woman thinks she knows best. What are her qualifications? I think she needs to remember she is an elected representative of the public and can (likely will) be removed at the next opportunity.

[dutchman]

Controversial plan to get rid of Canal Basin bridge is shelved

Controversial plans to remove the Canal Basin bridge and redesign junction one of the ring road have been shelved.

Labour Coun Rachel Lancaster, cabinet member for public services, has said the council will NOT be pursuing a proposal to replace the bridge with a crossing in the immediate future.

She says the council will be focusing on other projects.

The decision follows public opposition to the changes to the ring road - some residents of two tower blocks slammed the plans as ‘‘stupid’’ and said they could end up living in the middle of a traffic island.

However, Coun Lancaster insists the council will return to the plans at some point in the future after delivering other projects the authority expects to get European funding for.

She said: “We are awaiting the outcome of further funding bids which we hope to hear about shortly, and so, we have had to prioritise the projects we have planned for now.

“This means we will not be doing any work around the Canal Basin and junction one this time round, although it is still very much in our long term plans.

“As there is such strength of feeling about the removal of the footbridge and the routing of traffic along Leicester Row, we can use this time to take another look at the plans, so I have asked my officers to go back to the drawing board and re-look at the detail.

“As we come up with other options we will ensure we stay in close contact with people who live and work close to junction one to ensure we come up with a plan that works for as many people as possible.”

[rebbonk]

I stand by earlier comment about thinking that Councillor Lancaster is a bit thick!