COVENTRY MESSAGE BOARD

One of Coventry city centre’s busiest streets is to be closed to traffic for seven days.



Hales Street, which runs from the Old Grammar School to Coventry Transport Museum, is to close for a week starting on Monday, June 27.

The closure is for building work on student accommodation being built on a piece of land on the corner of Hales Street and Trinity Street.

Hales Street is used mainly by buses which pick up and drop off at stops outside the transport museum.

Alternative stops and routes have yet to be sorted out.

A spokesperson for National Express, which operates many of the buses using Hales Street said: “We are aware of the closure and we are working on alternative routes.

“We will publicise them once they are finalised.”

Normally only buses are allowed to go under the Whittle Arches, but for the week of the road closure all traffic will be allowed through and into Trinity Street.

Developers Complex Development Projects and student accommodation giant Unite are working on the project to create 391 student rooms above a row of shops and businesses.

Part of the development will be 11 storeys high with other parts five and eight storeys high.

The development is the final phase of the Phoenix Initiative to improve Coventry city centre.

The Phoenix Initiative, which was a millennium project, saw the development of Priory Place, Millennium Place and the transport museum.

The project also saw the uncovering of the Priory Ruins in Coventry city centre.

The site between Hales Street, Palmer Lane and the Burges was earmarked for the third phase but stood empty for a decade because of the failure to secure a landmark development.

The 391 student rooms are just part of the final phase. There are also plans for a river front and cafes.

The development is due to be finished in summer 2017. The first students are due to move in at the start of academic year 2017.

Hales Street to reopen after work over-runs on drainage for Coventry student accommodation

One of Coventry city centre’s busiest road will reopen tomorrow after causing weeks of disruption for bus users.

Hales Street was supposed to be shut for just one week for drainage to be installed for the new student accommodation being built on land at the corner with Trinity Street.

But the road closure, which started on June 27, overran around seven days after developers encountered “unexpected underground services”.

According to Complex Development Projects, the highway will be open from 2am tomorrow.

Steve Compton, from the developers, said: “I have spoken with the project manager for Unite who are developing the Millennium View project and he has confirmed that their contractor has told him they will be reopening the highway.”

During this key stage of development the bus stops which stand outside of Coventry Transport Museum were moved to nearby Bishop Street.

The temporary stops caused congestion as buses lined both sides of the street, leaving no room for passing cars. More closures have already been scheduled to take place in Hales Street from July 18.

A weekly listing of planned roadworks from Coventry City Council show that lane closures will be put in place for four days to allow for an upgrade of underpass lighting in Hales Street and White Street.