An award-winning developer has invested in Coventry again with plans for new city centre apartments, retail units and restaurants.
EDG Property has submitted an application to turn 50-64 Corporation Street into 15 high-specification, private apartments on the existing upper floors of the building and a new top penthouse storey, with retail and restaurants on the ground floor.
The company, which has shown its faith in Coventry city centre previously with more than £20 million worth of investment, is hoping to start on site later this year, subject to planning.
EDG was the developer behind the transformation and restoration of the former Co-Operative building – also on Corporation Street – which turned the dormant, historic building into award winning apartments, the region’s first internal park and ground floor restaurants.
The Co-Operative is widely regarded as being one of the catalysts for investment across the city centre, setting a new bar for residential development.
BPN Architects has been appointed by EDG to work up designs for this latest property that will ‘further enhance’ this area of the city centre.
Neil Edginton, director of EDG Property, said: “We’re delighted to be investing in Coventry city centre once again and while this is a smaller scheme than our previous developments in the city, it’s equally if not more exciting.
“Once again, it’s a chance to breathe new life into a very tired building by showing it some much-needed love.
“It will vastly improve this area of Corporation Street – building on the success of developments such as The Co-Operative. When we started on-site there seven years ago, we said we would bring something new to Coventry city centre and it’s great to see people enjoying living, working and spending leisure time at that development all these years later.
“This latest development on Corporation Street will sit proudly on the edge of the conservation area, opposite some beautiful historic buildings such as the Grammar School and we can’t wait to get started.”
Richard Newman, director of BPN Architects, added: “There’s a real mix of architecture on Corporation Street and our approach to this design is to create something very well-mannered, in keeping with its neighbours and which will stand the test of time.
“We’ve worked with EDG before and we enjoy their refreshing approach of creating buildings that are both timeless and stylish.”
Coventry City Councillor Jim O’Boyle, Cabinet Member for Jobs, Regeneration and Climate Change, paid a visit to the site to find out more about the plans.
He said: “It’s great to be working with EDG again. Both the Sirius and Co-Operative developments were fantastic additions to our city centre, they combined the best of the old and the best of the new and showed exactly how our city can thrive when we invest in it.
“That investment is ultimately the main point. Developments like this bring homes to Coventry, bring jobs to Coventry, and ultimately bring success to Coventry. I look forward to seeing the plans for this building move to the next stage.”
EDG was also the company behind Sirius on Ironmonger Row, a 30,000 sq ft mixed used scheme in the city as well as the Hawkins building which sits alongside The Co-Operative development.