An ambitious £93.8 million transformation plan is set for Coventry city centre and Coventry Station. Coventry City Council’s planning committee gave its permission for the £11.8 million scheme to improve the Upper Precinct and the £82 million Coventry Station Masterplan.

The plans submitted by Shearer Property Group include a framed courtyard in the Upper Precinct along with planting, landscaping, water features, seating areas and timber terraces. The work also involves the demolition of the existing escalator and footbridges connected to West Orchards Shopping Centre, and the creation of a 75-room student accommodation block in the district.

Phase one of the council’s masterplan for Coventry Station is already underway and it aims to construct a new footbridge and canopies, as well as an access tunnel under Warwick Road.

The second phase consists of the construction of a multi-storey car park for 633 vehicles, a new station concourse with access to all platforms and Warwick Road, and a new pedestrian route via an access tunnel under Warwick Road to a new bus interchange.

This project is being funded by the West Midlands Combined Authority, the CWLEP, the Department for Transport and other borrowings.

“It’s been a while since we had this level of investment in our city approved in a single planning committee – but now we have the green light to crack on with these two important city centre projects,” said Councillor Jim O’Boyle, Cabinet Member for Jobs and Regeneration at Coventry City Council and CWLEP board director.

“Our work in the Upper Precinct will help to reinstate it back to something much closer to Donald Gibson’s original plan. We will ensure we retain the very best of the old whilst creating an environment appropriate for the way people want to enjoy their city centre today. The railway station is the fastest growing outside London with passenger numbers increasing year-on-year so we need a station that can cope with increased demand and provide the right kind of Coventry welcome,” he continued.

Coventry City Council is working in partnership with Network Rail, Virgin Trains and other rail operators, Transport for West Midlands, Friargate Coventry LLP and other stakeholders to deliver the scheme.