Housing association Citizen is working with The Hill Group to demolish Kerry House, Milestone House and Trafalgar House, as part of the first stage of the redevelopment with building work beginning in 2026 which should be completed in 2028.
There has been considerable media coverage over the last month on the start of the demolition work. For, example, Coventry City Council has produced a You Tube video – Regenerating our city, as well as a press release – Demolition work progresses at Spon End in Coventry – Coventry City Council.
Meanwhile, Coventry Society has responded to the planning application for the regeneration of the whole estate. This has not been straightforward as it is a hybrid application. This means that it is a full detailed plan for what Citizen refers to as ‘area one’ which is where the demolition is taking place and covers the design of the new homes and the neighbourhood. The rest of the estate is covered by the outline part of the application that sets out an overall plan for what are referred to as areas two and three, with completion by 2036.
Our view is that we welcome the principle of the regeneration of the estate. However, we believe there are five unresolved issues.
Firstly, we wish to be reassured that residents moving into area one by 2028 will not be detrimentally affected by the demolition and building works for areas two and three from 2028 to 2036. We would also expect that work to be undertaken to minimise the impact of the demolition and construction work by the inclusion of temporary uses of cleared land, murals etc. In addition, we wish to see by 2028 high quality open space, access to an enhanced River Sherborne, commercial facilities (eg retail), community provision, adequate school provision, and health facilities.
Secondly, we urge that a policy is in place to ensure that there a wider range of house types and sizes in area one, as well as good quality facilities to help achieve a balanced community in area one. Also, when the scheme is completed in 2036 all residents must have access to the same high-quality facilities and services, so avoiding a ‘poor doors’ situation that has occurred in a few estate redevelopment schemes in inner London, where tenants of social rented homes can only access some facilities.
Thirdly, what about education and health services? By 2036, there will be 750 new homes compared with the existing 450 units. This will require additional school places and health facilities. The recent remodelling of Spon Gate Primary School assumed no change in the number of places available.
Fourthly, conserving the local heritage is important. There are listed buildings and structures, scheduled monuments, as well as Spon End Conservation Area and Nauls Mill Conservation Area. Coventry Society would like to see a detailed plan and programme for enhancing these features. In the case of Wellington Gardens, which will be redeveloped, we would expect to see its recognition in, for example, a storyboard in a community facility highlighting its significance as part of the post-war redevelopment of the city led by Donald Gibson.
Lastly, Coventry Society welcomes the proposals to open up and enhance the River Sherborne. The Sherborne Valley Project (see The Sherbourne Valley Project | Home) is a vital part of improving natural resources for the city and its residents including accessibility. We, therefore, urge that (i) the proposals for the River Sherborne in Spon End are coordinated with actions taking place upstream and downstream, (ii) there is a comprehensive plan and timetabled actions as soon as possible for improving the River Sherborne and the land on both sides of the river in Spon End and (iii) the phasing of redevelopment ensures the creation and maintenance of an enhanced river corridor on the site throughout the lifetime of the development works.