Plans are finalised for demolition of Coventry Point

PLANS are being finalised ahead of the demolition of one of Coventry’s most polarising buildings - Coventry Point.

The giant city centre tower block is set to be removed as part of the regeneration of Market Way and the surrounding areas.

And the date has been set for the demolition experts to arrive on site.

Earlier this year, it was revealed that the Coleman group had won the contract to demolish the 14-storey tower, in a contract which is believed to be worth almost £3m.

Coventry City Council have now revealed the contractors will arrive on site at the end of March, for the first stage in what is likely to be a complex demolition project.

A council spokesperson said: “Exact details are being finalised at the moment, and we should know more in the next couple of weeks.

“Hoarding and scaffolding should start to go up by the end of March with work starting shortly after.”

According to documents submitted to Coventry City Council’s planning department, the demolition of Coventry Point will be done in six stages.

The first of these is the handover of the site to the demolition contractor which is set to happen at the end of March.

Phase two involves the Coleman Group setting up the site and ensuring that it will be secure for demolition.

Following this, all materials containing asbestos will be removed individually prior to the demolition itself - to reduce health risks.

In addition, non-structural items such as fixtures and fittings will be taken out.

Phase four sees the completion of the previous phase, and the final preparation work for phase five - the demolition itself.

According to the plans, the building will be covered in scaffolding while the controlled demolition takes place.

This also allows for the surrounding area to operate fairly normally, with as little disruption as possible - as dust and debris should remain inside the scaffolding blanket.

A crane will be located on site to lift a mini digger onto the building and then, perhaps unsurprisingly, the building will be taken down from the top downwards, floor-by-floor.

Finally, once the demolition is complete - and there is no concrete timescale at this time, the space where Coventry Point once stood will be decommissioned and turned into a public space once more.

Coventry Point was designed in 1969 by architect John Madin - the man behind Birmingham’s recently demolished brutalist Central Library - and was completed in 1975.

It is actually two towers joined by glass walkways, but its dull grey concrete exterior has previously been described by the Coventry Society as “unsightly and of poor quality”.

It has had various occupants over the years, including solicitors, a snooker centre and engineering consultants, but was until recently only partially occupied.

Until last year, it was home to more than 40 charities, but they were told to vacate the building by the end of February 2018 and find new homes.