Bars, restaurants and student housing could replace old Telegraph offices in the city centre

[Melisandre]

Who will be wanting to stay in this hotel the tourist that have stayed already in our hotels are not impressed with Coventry whom I ve met over the years.

[dutchman]

Councillor defends spending YOUR money on unviable hotel



The councillor overseeing several city centre projects has defended spending taxpayers' money on an unviable hotel development.

The former Coventry Evening Telegraph building was due to be transformed into a 1950s style boutique hotel - with the inside gutted last month.

But extra cash is now needed to prop up the project.

That money will come from taxpayers in the city - but the council isn't willing to say how much money from the public purse will be used for the venture.

However Cllr Jim O'Boyle, cabinet member for jobs and regeneration at Coventry City Council, said the extra investment would be worth it.

Taxpayers' money has already been used to fund the porject.

Back in 2017, the WMCA’s Collective Investment Fund (CIF) loaned £2.82m to developers Complex Development Projects Ltd (CDP).

The cash was used to buy the landmark former Coventry Evening Telegraph offices in Corporation Street, as well as land to the rear.

Cllr O'Boyle said the cash coming from taxpayers' to prop up the hotel plans would be pumped back into our economy due to people coming to visit the city.

[rebbonk]

My thoughts about O'Boyle are unprintable. But I do wonder if he'd back this venture with his own money? - I guess I already know the answer!

Defending the indefensible isn't very clever O'Boyle!

[rebbonk]

The more I look into this, the more uncomfortable I become.

The key company involved is Far Gosford Developments Ltd and the directors are Brian and Ian Harrabin. The Harrabins seem to be doing very well out of Coventry's regeneration.

[dutchman]

Harrabin is also chairman of the so-called "Historic Coventry Trust" which is a thinly disguised city council quango.

https://www.historiccoventry.org.uk/biography/ian-david-harrabin-bsc-mrics/

[dutchman]

Hotel developer 'heartbroken' at new restrictions



A Coventry businessman behind a new hotel that was due to open in Coventry on 4 December said today's news was “just devastating”.

Ian Harrabin Director of Complex Development Projects said: "We’ve had our young, eager staff who have been newly recruited training over the last few weeks and all excited to be opening a brand new hotel in the city. To have that taken away from you is a nightmare.

"We were hoping for tier two as the Coventry rate has come down so much in comparison to the rest of the West Midlands."

The hotel on the site of the former Coventry Telegraph offices was initially set to open on 18 November, with that date put back until 4 December.

Birmingham chef Glynn Purnell was due to launch a pop-up experience at the hotel’s rooftop bar for the hotel’s opening.

“We had over 400 bookings for our rooftop experience – and it doesn’t make sense you can’t sit outside, yet you can go into a gym – where’s the logic in that. It's just heartbreaking,” Mr Harrabin said.