COV RAIL LINE TRANSFORMED INTO CITY WOODLAND WALK

£150,000 PLANNED CIRCULAR ROUTE WILL LINK GOSFORD GREEN, CHARTERHOUSE AND THE SHERBOURNE VIADUCT TO CENTRE

A FORMER Coventry freight railway loop line will be transformed into a woodland walk into the city centre thanks to a £150,000 council loan.

Historic Coventry Trust (HCT) has spent five years negotiating with private owners to buy a section of the disused Coventry Loop Line, but lacked funding.

Coventry City Council approved a loan at a meeting of the Cabinet Member for Strategic Finance and Resources on Thursday (September 27) to finance the deal.

The circular walking route will help link Gosford Green, Charterhouse and the Sherbourne viaduct to the centre, and is part of HCT’s wider plans to develop the Heritage Park.

There will also be a cycle path created.

Speaking after the meeting, Mark Ratcliffe, a trustee at HCT, said the plans could attract more visitors to the city.

He added: “We have been working in partnership with Coventry City Council to bring The Charterhouse back to life as a major tourist attraction and the Charterhouse Heritage Park is a vital element of the project which will involve creating a two-mile countryside walk.

“We would like to thank Coventry City Council for agreeing to give the trust a £150,000 repayable loan which will mean we can now progress our plans to re-open the Coventry Loop Line and create a cycle path.

“Very few areas can provide a countryside walk into their town or city centre and this will be another reason for attracting visitors to Coventry not only in 2021 when we are UK City of Culture but in future years.”

The loan will be repayable over five years with interest, but gives HCT the option to repay the entire loan within two years. At the meeting, questions were raised by Councillor Ken Taylor (Con, Earlsdon) as to whether HCT would be able to repay the money.

Cllr John Mutton , Cabinet Member for Strategic Finance and Resources, admitted there was an “element of risk”, but believed the work would be beneficial to the city.

He said after the meeting: “I’m pleased to be able to help Historic Coventry Trust with this short term loan as it will enable them to bring another part of the city’s history back to life.”

The Coventry Loop Line opened in 1914 to enable trains being able to avoid Coventry station and use stations at Bell Green and Gosford Green.

The branch line closed in 1981 and the track was removed in 1982.