Plan to knock down vandalised Cook Street office block

[dutchman]

New flats could go up in their place



An empty and vandalised Coventry office block could be demolished as a developer plans to build hundreds of homes in its place. Barberry Development Ltd have lodged plans with the city council to knock down the 'Dale Buildings' on Cook Street in the centre.

They aim to replace it with 314 homes made up of a mix of studios, 1 bed and 2 bed apartments, according to proposals for how the site would be restored. The planned scheme would be designed and operated specifically to be rented out in a move known as 'build to rent.'

The current site is made up of "three largely vacant and dilapidated buildings," according to the application form. These include single storey buildings which would be demolished first, and the three-storey old office block.

A demolition method statement has also given details of the poor condition of the building, which is said to have been broken into and damaged by vandals. It said: "The building has been vacant for some time, and it is apparent that it has suffered from vandalism and trespass.

"The building fabric is clearly damaged and could contain unsafe elements including biological and physical hazards." The statement adds: "Due to extended time being empty the building has been subject to unauthorised use and vandalism.

"Used drug paraphernalia could be hidden beneath the rubbish within the building." The application made to the city council is to see if "prior approval" is needed for the work. It expires in March and is viewable under reference: PL/2023/0002408/PAPD on the planning portal of the council's website.

Barberry first revealed plans to build around 260 apartments on the site six years ago. Those plans, known as 'Bishop Gate East', were for a £45 million build-to-rent scheme and included three blocks up to 14 storeys high.

They also planned to build six townhouses with 72 student bedrooms and another 34 bedroom residential block, it was reported at the time. Barberry also built the Bishop Gate student accommodation scheme on the site of an old sorting office as part of a joint scheme with Coventry University. The buildings on land near the Dale Buildings were finished in 2020.

[dutchman]

Pure speculation I think?

There are currently NO residential properties in that area and as far as I know it's reserved exclusively for commercial buildings?

It's also quite intimidating to walk through so I can't imagine anyone wanting to live there.