21.11.18
Coventry station £82m masterplan given the go-ahead by city council
Groundbreaking plans to transform Coventry city centre and Coventry station have been given the official green light from the city’s council.
Coventry City Council announced it has granted permission for the £11.8m scheme to improve the Upper Precinct and the £82m Coventry Station Masterplan—following both schemes receiving £30m in funding from the government’s Local Growth Fund.
Preparation work to get the area ready for the major work after Christmas has already begun, with the two-phase development of Coventry station hoped to create a gateway into the city ahead of 2021, when it will become the UK City of Culture.
The first phase to construct a new footbridge, canopies, and an access tunnel under Warwick Road is underway as part of the £82m scheme being funded by the West Midlands Combined Authority, the Coventry and Warwickshire LEP (CWLEP), the DfT, and other borrowings.
The second phase involves building 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.
Cabinet member for jobs and regeneration at Coventry City Council and CWLEP board director, Cllr Jim O’Boyle, said it has “been a while” since the city saw this level of investment.
He added: “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.”
Coventry City Council is also working in partnership with Network Rail, Virgin Trains and other TOCs, Transport for West Midlands, Friargate Coventry LLP, and other stakeholders to deliver the project.
Zamurad Hussain, CWLEP board director, said: “Connectivity from Coventry to other parts of the region will be improved once the new station is completed and it is important to create the right first impression to the city since the number of train passengers has tripled since 2003 and it is expected to double again by 2043.
“Now the plans for both schemes have been approved, work will start immediately to push forward the building programmes to ensure they are completed on time ahead of 2021.”
Exciting developments like the Coventry city centre regeneration will be debated and discussed at TransCityRail Midlands 2019. Click here to find out more.
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Image credit: Coventry City Council