BID TO TRANSFORM GUILDHALL STEP CLOSER
A £5.6 MILLION scheme to transform Coventry’s historic St Mary’s Guildhall into an “enhanced” tourist attraction with a rooftop bar is edging closer.
Coventry City Council is losing around £220,000 each year on the site but new plans hope to boost its tourism offering and make it financially sustainable.
It includes restoring the Medieval Kitchen - one of only five Medieval kitchens which remain intact in the UK - and opening it up to the public; expanding the back to provide a new ‘modern’ kitchen for events; and a new rooftop terrace bar and a lounge area.
It is hoped the plans could boost the site’s potential for events, conferencing and weddings while providing an enhanced tourist experience with a new activities programme and a full education package for schools.
The city council is also planning to create ‘digital experiences’ alongside the Medieval Kitchen and stunning 16th century Tapestry, which is widely recognised as one of the rarest examples of this art in the country.
Revamping the site could help generate around £1 million annual income, reports to councillors have previously said.
Cllr Jim O’boyle, cabinet member for jobs and regeneration, said: “This is a long time in the making.
“St Mary’s is the prized asset in this city and hopefully people will be amazed by the offering.
“The current arrangement was ridiculous and it did not pay for itself.
“There has been a need to reduce the costs over time and this is something that stuck out like a sore thumb.
“It has needed an overhaul as this is not just a Coventry asset, this is an asset for the whole country.”
Currently, £2.2m funding from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport has been secured.
Approval is being sought for Stage Two of an application to the National Lottery Heritage Fund for a further £1.7m funding, and, if successful, the remaining £1.7m funding required will come from prudential borrowing.
Subject to approval at a council meeting on June 3, planning approval could then be granted in July, with work taking place in September before a full reopening in June 2021.