Five things you probably didn't know about Coventry City Centre South scheme

LRS are delighted to have provided Land Referencing services to the project, which has now made significant progress.

Homes

1550 new homes are planned, as well as 17,000 square feet of accessible public space. The first homes from the scheme could be ready from as early as March 2028.

The project has been in the pipeline for years, and is still some time from being fully complete, but the first batch of homes, an apartment block located near Market Way, looks like it might be ready in around 18 months. The scheme includes affordable housing in the shape of social rent and shared ownership tenures.

Bombs

Coventry was decimated by the Blitz of World War 2 and it is believed there are still likely countless unexploded bombs buried in the region.

Although no unexploded devices have been found during the demolition work for this project, this can likely be attributed to the work done by architects who oversaw the initial rebuild of the city centre in the 1950s.

The City Wall

Developers came across the foundations of Coventry's famous but long-destroyed city wall while undertaking archaeological work. 

Its foundations were found, protected, and will be built over, remaining underground - probably until the next regeneration project in 100 years time!

Pivot

The initial plans did not include residential buildings. Now just under 1,600 homes are expected to bring in excess of 3,000 residents to the city centre.

Initially the plan was more commercially focussed, but in a few short years it became apparent that the way people shop and interact with their local city centre was changing dramatically.

The internet, mobile phones, changing habits in a post Covid world and alternative sites such as out of town shopping parks have all had an impact. Luckily developers realised this before it was too late and altered the plans pivoting to a more viable long term scheme.

Fourteen Years

From the initial planning application submitted in November 2020, to expected completion in 2034, the huge project will take 14 years to complete from start to finish.

This sounds like a long time, but the development is being delivered in phases, so while the completed project is still eight years off, we'll see other parts sooner.

Andy Hill OBE, founder and group chief executive of The Hill Group, said: 

“City Centre South is one of the most significant regeneration projects currently being delivered in the UK and represents a major long-term investment in the future of Coventry.

“Bringing forward the right commercial offer is critical to creating a truly successful mixed-use destination, one that complements the city centre, supports local businesses and creates a vibrant place for people to live, work and spend time.”