Plans for 19-storey student block in Cov set to be approved
The amount of motors in the Midlands has nearly doubled to around 5 million
PLANS for a 19-storey apartment block on the edge of Coventry city centre have been recommended for approval ahead of a final decision this week.
Applicant GS3 Living Ltd is seeking to build accommodation for 423 students on the site of a disused former car park adjacent to the Ramada Hotel.
The scheme, at the corner of Butts, Queens Road and York Street, also includes a sky lounge dining area on the 16th floor and a rooftop terrace.
Council planners have recommended the green light but the final decision will rest with a committee at Coventry City Council today.
The plans have prompted some concern, with 13 letters of objection branding it too large, out of proportion with the surrounding area, and overbearing.
There is also concern not enough parking has been provided.
Part of the multi-storey car park will remain to service the hotel and provide six ‘operational’ spaces for the student block, with 140 cycle spaces instead offered - however Highways officials have deemed parking plans acceptable, while no other statutory consultee
has objected. Planning officer Emma Spandley added: “Objections have been raised to the development by local residents regarding the scale of the development, stating it is at odds with the character of the area and the height and massing is too large.
“It is accepted that the building is large, however it has been designed in order to step the scale of development down from the Ramada. The comments are noted with regards to the Ramada building, however the building is here to stay and the proposal has been designed with this in mind.”
The 19-storey building would be 54.9m in height, set adjacent to the slightly taller Ramada building which is 60.5m high.
The scheme proposes 60 cluster flats and 96 studios for students and a total of 423 bedrooms which GS3 says “stand out and provide a landmark building that would lift the character of the locality”.
“The application is for student accommodation which will contribute to the growing needs of the city,” they said in planning statements.
“The development proposes highquality student accommodation which is needed within the city as a whole.”
BROADCASTER Clara Amfo is being made into a Barbie doll ahead of International Women’s Day.
The BBC Radio One DJ and former Strictly Come Dancing contestant, 36, has had a doll made in her likeness to honour her work as a vocal advocate for racial equality, as she becomes a Barbie role model.
Barbie is celebrating female role models as part of its work to close the “dream gap” – the point when young girls are said to begin to doubt they are as capable as boys.
Stars including world champion sprinter Dina Asher-smith, model Adwoa Aboah and boxer Nicola Adams have all previously been turned into Barbie “Sheroes” since 2015.
Amfo, from Kingston upon Thames in London, said: “I have been lucky enough to experience some really special moments in my professional life, and to say that I am honoured to be named a Barbie role model would be an understatement.
“There is so much power in being able to see yourself reflected positively in the world as an adult and it’s even more potent as a child.
“That power and confidence that comes with it should only be protected and amplified. Having this doll represents the infinite possibility I believe we all have a right to.”