£7m Broadgate scheme 'shows appalling lack of vision'

[dutchman]

THE people of Coventry have been promised a ‘city to be proud of’ with a £7million revamp of Broadgate and the surrounding area. But Coventry chartered landscape architect Simon Watkins believes there are ‘fundamental practical difficulties’ with the design. Simon, who lives in the Charterhouse area off the city’s London Road, feels the plans do nothing to create a ‘unique sense of space’ and do not reflect Coventry’s rich seam of history and diverse contemporary social scene. Here's what he had to say...

I HAVE become aware of the proposals for Broadgate too late to take part in the public consultation but would still like to offer some constructive comments from the point of view of a Chartered Landscape Architect and long term resident of the city.

I believe passionately in Coventry’s potential to be a thriving, environmentally sustainable and culturally vibrant city with a strong economic base.

Such a city would be deserving of the highest possible quality and inspiring public spaces. I was therefore gratified to hear that Coventry had an opportunity to create such a space in the heart of the city centre.

Public spaces must work hard for their keep. They must be sufficiently flexible to cater for a wide range of uses at different scales whilst retaining character and meaning at less busy times.

They must provide visual and other sensory relief within largely hard, built-up areas. They need to function as efficient thoroughfares. They can provide resources for wildlife. Depending upon the surfacing and construction build-up, they can help to manage rainwater run-off. They are a focus for identity at a community, district or even regional level, and as such should offer something unique in their appearance and character. In addition to all this, they must be durable and easily maintained.

Further, my experience of planning, designing and implementing public spaces of different sizes and in different contexts leads me to the conclusion that not only is this an incredibly difficult balance to achieve, but also that there is never a solution with which everybody will be pleased.

However, there are nonetheless standards and principles which may be followed to ensure that public spaces achieve as much as possible of the above.

The tenor of the comments posted on the city council’s flickr page is unfortunately negative and unconstructive.

I did not wish to add to this unhelpful form of criticism. However, I can understand people’s disappointment with the scheme as revealed in the two photomontages presented.

I also see some fundamental practical difficulties which will arise from the proposed design.

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