New flats to be built on old Coventry swimming pool site

[dutchman]

The leisure centre was controversially bulldozed eight years ago



New supported living flats will be built in Coventry on the site of an old swimming pool. Plans for the three storey block at Livingstone Road got the green light from the council last week.

The building called St Clair's Gardens will be run by Coventry and Warwickshire Mind and have 26 ensuite bedsits, plus a range of communal areas. It will go on land that has been empty since the much-loved Foleshill Leisure Centre was knocked down eight years ago.

Most of the old swimming pool site has already been built on with a new GP surgery and a mental health recovery unit opening in the last few years. An extension to the mental health centre, which is also operated by the local Mind charity, was approved in 2021 but will no longer go ahead.

The new building will be separate from the recovery unit but the opportunity for "mutual support" between the services is "extremely valuable" a planning document said. The report, explaining how the block will be used, also revealed that rising numbers of people are needing support with housing from the local Mind charity.

"The accommodation will provide an independent living service for the residents of Coventry, who have approached the charity for housing support," it said. "Coventry and Warwickshire Mind currently manage a wide range of properties located in various parts of Coventry, consisting of single flats/bedsits and several shared houses for 2-8 people.

"This new facility will provide Coventry and Warwickshire Mind with additional capacity to meet the increased demand for this much needed service." The block will also allow the charity to "rationalize [its] current estate," it added.

"A small number of their existing properties have become inefficient in use and energy consumption and are not best suited to meet the future demands of residents." A separate document setting out the sustainability credentials of the new building was submitted with the application.

These include ways it has been designed to be more energy efficient, including heat recovery units and insultation above minimum standards. The accommodation will also have limits on water flow to 110 litres per person per day, via "key products" such as "restricted flow taps and limited storage Toilet cisterns," the report said.

Residents will have staff support and five full time jobs are expected to come with the development.

[dutchman]

People are assuming this is a home for the elderly even though that's not mentioned anywhere in the article.

The one opposite me in Windsor Street was used by Mind as a bail-hostel for drug-offenders up until a fight broke out in the street one night. The 'inmates' spent most of their time playing pool and watching Sky TV.