Work finally begins on £450m Coventry City Centre development beset by delays

Initial work on a new project set to rejuvenate Coventry City Centre is finally underway, over eight years after the development was first announced.

The City Centre South development, located in the areas of City Arcade, Bull Yard, and Market Way, promises to bring brand new shops, restaurants, car parks, housing, and a cinema to the city.

Work on the £450 million project has been heavily delayed, with the original completion date announced as 2020 when the project was revealed by Coventry City Council in 2017. A planning permission application for the project was, however, only eventually submitted in 2020.

Three years after the promised completion date, preparatory work has finally begun on the project. City Arcade was closed from 27 January to allow renovation works, including the installation of hoarding, to get underway,

The project will also see the building of 17,000 square metres of public open space, with pedestrian routes linking the development to the city centre, Friargate, and the City Centre Cultural Gateway

A timeline outlining the project’s construction reveals that Phase One of the project is due to be completed by summer 2032, with a new guaranteed end date of 2034 ­– fourteen years after construction was originally expected to be concluded.

Almost 1,000 new homes are set to be constructed as part of the project, from studio apartments to three-bed family homes. The first homes are expected to be completed in early 2027.

The project will also see the building of 17,000 square metres of public open space, with pedestrian routes linking the development to the city centre, Friargate, and the City Centre Cultural Gateway – a development converting the former IKEA building into a cultural hub.

Improvements to the existing Coventry Market have also been promised, alongside transport initiatives and displays of new public art.

The development is reportedly set to generate hundreds of new jobs through the construction process and after its completion. Constructors have also vowed to improve the city’s biodiversity, replacing much of the concreted areas with trees, hedges, and children’s playspace.

This is a really important step for City Centre South, and it’s great that work will soon be starting on the ground

Cllr Jim O’Boyle, Coventry City Council Cabinet Member for Jobs, Regeneration, and Climate Change

Cllr Jim O’Boyle, Coventry City Council’s Cabinet Member for Jobs, Regeneration, and Climate Change, has welcomed the work on the new development, saying: “This is a really important step for City Centre South, and it’s great that work will soon be starting on the ground.”

He added: “The new homes and shops will help to provide a new community in the city centre and this will help to ensure the area and the wider city is vibrant and busy.”

The scheme is being directed by Shearer Property Group, a local retail expert company responsible for refurbishments of the city’s Precinct and Cathedral Lanes, and The Hill Group, a leading development corporation that has worked on over 40 major regeneration schemes.

Access to shops and businesses in the city centre will not be disrupted during the initial works. The Hill Group’s Andy Fancy stressed: “Throughout this project, we are committed to ensuring that residents and visitors have continuous, convenient access to their favourite shops and destinations in the city, now and in the future.”

The combination of the companies’ local knowledge and construction expertise promise to bring about an area that celebrates Coventry’s history, whilst also being a modern retail centre for the people of the city and Warwick students alike.