Towering student flats set to be even bigger
TWO towering student accommodation blocks planned for the city have been made even bigger - before even being given permission.
The massive development next to the city’s ring road would provide a home to almost 800 students, as well as a new home for Coventry Boys and Girls Club.
But original plans submitted last year by the Watkins Jones Group, which operates Fresh Student Living, showing a 13 and 17-storey tower block have now been scaled up.
Councillors are due to approve two 18 and 16-storey towers on Friday.
The development would cover almost half a hectare of brownfield land between Whitefriars Lane to the south, Whitefriars Street to the west and the ring road to the east.
A report for Coventry City Council’s planning committee states: “The building design has evolved with refinement to the elevations, and the rear (northern) section of the Block B adjacent to the Gosford Street property boundaries has been reduced from 12 to 6 storeys to provide an improved relationship with these adjoining buildings.
“The height of Block A has subsequently increased by 2 floors to make up for the lost floor space in Block B and retain 778
“The description originally identified the towers being 17 and 13 storeys. This description did not count the ground floor (floor 0) and renotification was carried out to more accurately describe the towers as 18 and 16 storeys (Block A having subsequently been increased by two floors).”
The huge scheme has already attracted complaints from residents, who say too many student blocks are being built in the city centre.
Other objections say the buildings are poorly designed and too tall for the location, which is close to listed buildings including The Oak Inn pub and The Whitefriars Olde Alehouse pub in Gosford Street.
The owner of the Oak Inn pub said he supported the scheme, but was concerned that future residents could be disturbed by revellers at the late-night pub, which opens until 5am on Friday and Saturday nights and 4am the rest of the week.
The two towers would provide 778 beds for students in the city and would be linked to by a canopy over the main entrance on the northern side of Whitefriars Lane.
Each floor would have a mix of studio flats, and cluster flats with four, five or six bedrooms and shared kitchens.
Study space, a fitness room, a management suite, a laundry room and cycle parking would be provided on the ground floor.
The two blocks would be separated by a central landscaped courtyard and a roof terrace is planned on the 12th floor of one of the towers.
The plans would see the Coventry Boys and Girls Club relocate from its current 1960s home on the same site into a bigger facility worth more than £1.5 million on the western edge of the development opposite the Coventry University sports centre. Members of the club, which relies on voluntary donations and fundraising activities, say they are struggling to maintain the current building, and if more people are to be reached in the city they would have to make “significant alterations”. The club said in supporting documents to the council: “The current arrangements for this site allow for the provision of a brand new purpose-built facility for the Club, on the site of the former terraced properties and SQ Social Club, which would be demolished as part of the application. “There would be no outlay for the CBGC for a new facility worth in excess of £1.5m. This will be funded by the Watkin Jones Group, but can only be achieved through the provision of the student accommodation.”
The northern boundary of the site adjoins the side gardens of terrace properties fronting Whitefriars Street and the rear gardens and yards of premises fronting Gosford Street, which include the grade II listed buildings The Oak Inn pub and The Whitefriars Olde Alehouse pub.
The council’s conservation officer says the “overly dominant” and “oppressive” towers would be harmful to settings of the listed buildings - which they say are one of the few surviving fragments of the pre-war townscape in the city centre. The report states: “The conservation officer considers that the height and proximity of the proposed development would result in a negative experience from these spaces [pub gardens].
“He considers that the level of harm is less than substantial, but he perceives the public benefits to be marginal commenting that there is plenty of student accommodation being provided across the city that does not adversely impact heritage assets and the benefits of the CBGC could be provided within a reduced scheme.”
The building design has evolved with refinement to the elevations... Report