Coventry council offices moving to Friargate development...

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A radical plan to regenerate Coventry city centre will see the council relocate its offices to the new Friargate development.


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The £59million masterplan will redesign a huge part of the city centre and will include a £40million new council complex near Coventry Railway Station.

The council will act as the anchor organisation at the Friargate development which will include office space, two hotels, new homes along with retail space and restaurants.

Plans for the 37-acre site could create 7,800 construction jobs over the next 15 years and 13,400 office jobs once completed.

The council house will remain as a base for councillors and council meetings while a new one-stop centre for residents to make contact over local authority services will be built in Broadgate.

Council leader Anne Lucas said: “We need to do something radical to make Coventry great again, and I’m not prepared to sit and do nothing while the city’s economic decline continues.

“We’re the country’s 13th largest city with the 47th largest shopping centre. That’s not good enough.

“This plan is value for money for Coventry taxpayers and will send the clearest message to developers for decades that the city is open for business and prepared to do what it takes to stimulate the local economy.”

The new Friargate council complex will cost £40m while £19m will go towards other changes throughout the city centre including the one-stop shop in Broadgate.

Council bosses have opted for the revamp rather than fork out an estimated £63m to repair and refurbish the existing council house.

The changes will see the number of council offices across the city reduced from 27 separate buildings to just nine.

As well as relocating its own offices, the city council says it is in talks with another “big organisation” which wants to build its headquarters there within the Friargate development.

The plan will see the road network around junction six of the ring road being re-built to include a boulevard linking the train station to Greyfriars Green and the city centre.

This will be funded by £12.7m from the government’s Regional Growth Fund.

Coun Lynnette Kelly, cabinet member for business, enterprise and employment, said: This is a once in a generation opportunity to change the face of Coventry.

“Coventry has massive potential for growth; we have two world class universities, one of the best locations in the country and a talented and skilled workforce.

“The council has a one-off opportunity now to use its assets in a new and different way to get the economy moving again.

“Changes to the way councils can use business rates mean that councils like ours are now rewarded for taking risks and investing in new ways. This scheme could see us increase and retain business rates of £11m a year.

“The new council building will act as the anchor tenant for Friargate and kick-start the entire scheme. We’re already talking to another big organisation which wants to build its national headquarters here - but wants us to make the first move.

“The move will also help the development of the city centre south scheme and support Coventry University’s ambitious plans for growth over the next decade.”

The council will pay for its new complex using bank loans which will be paid back over 40 years.

It says the new office centre will cost £800,000 a year less to run than its current historic base and will cut its carbon footprint by a third.

It says 70 fewer staff will be needed - saving £1.26m a year.

The authority insists on top of mortgage payments for the £40m loan it will still be saving £500,000 a year.

Award-winning international firm Gross Max has been hired to deliver the scheme which is being led by developer Friargate Coventry LLP in partnership with Coventry City Council.

The regeneration project will be delivered in phases over the next 15 years.

Outline planning permission for the scheme has been granted and a detailed report on its options will go before the council in June.

If given the go-ahead before cabinet and full council work could begin in 2014 with staff being moved in by 2016.

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This plan is value for money for Coventry taxpayers

Is it? If the Council has money like that to throw around I'd rather see a reduction in Council tax.

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City Tory councillor: What exactly is the plan for Friargate?

A Coventry councillor has raised concerns over plans to move council staff to a new £40million complex to kickstart the flagging Friargate scheme.

Councillor Allan Andrews, the new Tory opposition deputy leader, accused Labour council leaders of staging a “hasty PR operation” ahead of any “viable” business case or financing details for relocating staff from city centre offices.

The plan – revealed in Wednesday’s Telegraph – has prompted Conservative questions as to whether it would attract more private sector investors to move their businesses into the Friargate scheme.

It is now six years since the Friargate plan for “15,000 jobs” on a huge swathe of land around Coventry station was first announced.

Coventry City Council wanted to attract government departments relocating from London – and the scheme has been marketed over successive years at the MIPIM international property conference in Cannes.

But the global recession struck, and there have been difficulties obtaining funding for road infrastructure to support the plan.

City development chiefs have long insisted securing one private sector investor for Friargate would act as a “honey pot” in attracting more.

There are now concerns over whether the council’s relocation would display market confidence to potential private sector investors in the same way.

Coun Andrews said: “On the council’s potential move to Friargate, my understanding is that this is an old idea first put forward by the now retired officer, John McGuigan, and that this was resisted as there was a preference for a private sector anchor tenant in line. Lack of financial viability at the time will also have been a factor.

“I welcome this much needed debate on the future of Friargate and how we make it viable, and in principle support the council making a bold statement about how it can help to lead the regeneration of the city.

“However, I do have reservations about the manner in which this has been handled so far. The chief executive’s announcement was the first solid information we had as an opposition that this was being seriously considered.

“My understanding is the Labour group have asked officers to work on detailed proposals. Until they are known, it is difficult to say what we can support besides the principle of exploring the option.

“The hasty PR operation could be an effort by the new leadership to create a perception of having an immediate impact on the city. But I would have thought it desirable to have some proposals ready for scrutiny before presenting this as a fait accompli.”

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£59m Friargate development moves another step closer



Coventry's eagerly awaited Friargate development has taken a major step forward.

A ‘reserved matters’ planning application for the £59million scheme has been submitted by developers, Friargate Coventry LLP.

If approved, work on the development – which includes the new Coventry City Council building, public open space and a landscaped ’boulevard’ leading from the railway station to Greyfriars Green – will start early next year.

The entire development is to be phased over 15 years, with initial work seeing the removal of the junction six ring road gyratory and an extensive, landscaped bridge deck over the ring road.

Temporary pedestrian and vehicle links from Eaton Road would be provided, preparing the way for a ‘practical and attractive’ tree-lined pedestrian route from the station to Greyfriars Green and on to the city centre. This phase of work will be carried out in early 2014.

Stephen Reynolds of Friargate Coventry LLP said: “Friargate is the first development on anywhere near this scale and type in Coventry for decades and represents a massive opportunity for the city to attract new employers and visitors to the city.

“The combination of office, leisure, retail, hotels and residential uses creates an attractive, high-quality mix that will act as a catalyst to further regeneration in the city.”

The site, bounded by Station Square, Manor Road, Warwick Road, Greyfriars Green and Grosvenor Road, will include office buildings, two hotels as well as improved public spaces and pedestrian routes.

Coun Lynnette Kelly, cabinet member for business, enterprise and employment, said: “The submission of this application is both a step forward for the Friargate development and for our move to this fantastic new business district for the city.

“Friargate will change the face of our city, kick-start investment, create jobs and save money for council tax payers. Of course, what’s most important is that our move encourages other organisations to relocate to Friargate. Although our new office is exciting, what really matters is that we generate more investment in Coventry.

“We have said we will make brave decisions if they are good for the city – creating jobs and prosperity for local people – and that’s what this is about.

“This is a value for money plan for taxpayers that will send the clearest of messages to investors and developers that the city is open for business and we are prepared to do whatever it takes to stimulate the local economy.”

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City council give green-light for extra spending on Friargate development



Additional spending to help get the city’s flagship construction project off the ground has been approved.

Members agreed to increase advanced spending on the Friargate scheme to just over £1.4million during a Coventry City Council cabinet meeting on Tuesday.

An increase of £740,000 will be spent ‘at risk’ for project management and design costs in addition to £700,000 already agreed to enable site clearance and contractor costs.

Should the required elements of the project be completed successfully and on time the council will be able to recover the full amount through European grants.

The proposals will go before full council on February 25.

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council give green-light for extra spending

Coventry City Council couldn't run the proverbial in as brewery!