08.11.18
Coventry Station’s £82m masterplan up for approval
An £82m masterplan for Coventry’s train station has been recommended for approval by the city council.
The proposals include the construction of a new station building, providing a second entrance at the western end of the station, and 634-space multi-storey car park.
Coventry City Council will discuss the proposals at a planning committee meeting on Thursday 15 November. If formally approved, it would see a new gateway created for the millions of passengers who arrive into the city by train each year.
The council is working on the project in partnership with Network Rail, Virgin Trains and other rail operators, Transport for West Midlands, Friargate Coventry and other stakeholders.
The papers released prior to the meeting says that the “planning committee are recommended to grant planning permission subject to conditions listed within the report.”
It said the plans to build a “high-quality building” is “acceptable,” and will provide extra station capacity and will not adversely impact upon highway safety or the existing Grade II listed building.
The construction will include the new second western entrance as well as new passenger facilities, retail shops and cafés, pedestrian lift access, staff welfare facilities and the construction of new roads.
The plans would also see the creation of a second footbridge to connect all four platforms and extend the platforms, and a bus interchange would be built connected to the station.
The project has received funding from the DfT and the Local Growth Fund via the Coventry and Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership, plus some borrowing requested from the West Midlands Combined Authority devolution deal.
The £82m Coventry Station masterplan is part of a city-wide council regeneration programme which will take five years and provide “an attractive gateway into the city.”
The council says that the current Grade II listed building “is tired with limited passenger facilities and poor integration with other forms of transport.”
It called Coventry Station the fastest growing station outside of London over the last five years, and said it will benefit from the “ambitious programme of improvements” which will help it cope with future increases in passenger numbers.
The investment in Coventry Station is the latest in a ‘rail revolution’ occurring in the Midlands right now with rail travel growing faster there than in London or the North West.
At TransCityRail Midlands in July next year, industry leaders and representatives will be discussing the latest progress in Midlands rail. To find out more click here.
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