Plans submitted to replace loathed escalator

PLANS to replace the most loathed escalator in Coventry have been submitted to Coventry City Council.

The Upper Precinct’s ‘ugly’ green escalator will be removed as part of plans to transform the city centre.

But another escalator will take its place if planning bosses give the scheme the green light.

The escalator - dubbed an eyesore by many residents has been a fixture of the city centre since the 1990s.

But its fate looks to be sealed in planning documents.

Ultimately councillors on Coventry City Council’s planning committee will have the final say but if granted, a new escalator - along with stairs and a lift - will be re-homed within the West Orchards shopping centre.

The proposals to create an open pedestrian area throughout the Upper Precinct have been submitted to Coventry City Council by Shearer Property Group and a fund advised by J.P. Morgan Asset Management.

The scheme will involve removing the existing escalator and footbridges which connect the area to West Orchards Shopping Centre and re-establish the view to Coventry Cathedral.

The application also seeks permission to remove the canopy outside the former BHS building while designs also show seating areas and timber terraces along with a central pedestrian area in a framed courtyard style design.

The work is due to start early this autumn removing the old underground toilet block, which was closed after falling into disrepair in 1999.

Contractors will then proceed with the re-arrangement of shop units along the northern side of the Upper Precinct, accompanied by drainage works to the main Upper Precinct area.

Demolition of the footbridges will follow along with the construction of a new staircase to provide a new entrance into West Orchards Shopping Centre and the installation of new feature railings and lighting to the terraces on the first floor overlooking The Precinct.

In order for the scheme to be completed and open ahead of Coventry being UK City of Culture 2021 , work will continue at a steady pace to install the new paving, greenery, water features, street furniture and general landscaping.

The new escalator is due to be installed in spring 2019.

The project is being partfunded by £7.75 million from the Government’s Local Growth Fund through Coventry and Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership (CWLEP) as part of the overall £11.8 million scheme.

An extra £1million is urgently needed to deliver the planned refurbishment of Coventry’s Upper Precinct.

The permission also includes the removal of the council-owned shop - currently leased to jewellers Ernest Jones - which sits underneath the ramp.

The current budget does not allow for the entire works, therefore it is proposed the removal of the Ernest Jones unit is undertaken as part of a later phase.

A bid has been submitted to West Midlands Combined Authority to bring that work forward to be delivered at the same time as the other developments, subject to acquisition of the unit.

It is proposed that the additional funding is secured from the following sources:

£500,000 is re-allocated to the Upper Precinct public realm scheme from the ‘new waterpark and leisure centre’ scheme£450,000 to be identified and agreed as new capital funding to cover the funding shortfall

Cllr Jim O’Boyle, Cabinet Member for Jobs and Regeneration at Coventry City Council and CWLEP Board Director, said if the plans are passed, it would mean a new era for the Upper Precinct.

He said: “I’m really pleased that we are working with the private sector on this really important project.

“We’ve been really clear that this must be a top quality scheme - it’s what local people and the Upper Precinct deserve. In fact this plan is very similar to the original Gibson plan - and it will reintroduce water and greenery to the area.

“It will also mean we can clear out some of the later additions that we know people don’t like - including the escalators into West Orchards Shopping Centre which have always divided public opinion. This will help to open up the view again towards Coventry Cathedral.

“The pedestrianisation of Broadgate has been a huge success and we are keen to revitalise the Upper Precinct in a similar way.

“We believe this would help to further rejuvenate Coventry city centre and attract more shops and restaurants.

“And if we can successfully bid for more cash and make it work we may also, as part of a later phase, be able to remove the Ernest Jones unit.”

Zamurad Hussain, a board director at the Coventry and Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership, said this would see the Upper Precinct area transformed into a vibrant city centre location.

He said: “This is an exciting scheme which will transform another area of Coventry city centre.

“This public realm work has been supported by the Local Growth Fund which was launched by the government to encourage growth, support businesses and create jobs which are all part of this project.

“Momentum is really building in Coventry as we head towards UK City of Culture in 2021 and this is another part of the jigsaw.”