Coventry city centre (3 Viewers)

Otis

Well-Known Member
I had a pizza from one of those vans (between where BHS was & Poundland now) the other week was pretty decent to be fair for about £4.
Ah, Millie's Kitchen.

Been voted in the top 10 places to eat in the city centre.
 

Sky_Blue_Dreamer

Well-Known Member
Saw a few pages back people talking about crazy golf and Club M (Hertford Place) is being turned into one.
 

Sky_Blue_Dreamer

Well-Known Member
It's more the ring road than anything. Put something outside that and people won't walk. Don't like the subways and the crossing on the sliproad by Carey's isn't ideal either.
 

Alan Dugdales Moustache

Well-Known Member
One thing is for sure: the more I visit other big towns or cities similar in size to Coventry, the more I realise that Coventry folk have suffered an appalling apology for a city centre for decades. What Hitler failed to destroy the local council have continually blighted with half baked ideas and utterly dreadful schemes ever since.
 

ajsccfc

Well-Known Member
I've tried Ghetto Golf in Birmingham that this new one has based itself on so I've got high hopes. Being that side of the ring road really does make it feel detached from the city centre.
 

dutchman

Well-Known Member
One thing is for sure: the more I visit other big towns or cities similar in size to Coventry, the more I realise that Coventry folk have suffered an appalling apology for a city centre for decades. What Hitler failed to destroy the local council have continually blighted with half baked ideas and utterly dreadful schemes ever since.

Imagine how much worse it would be if the council's ideas were fully-baked!
 

Alan Dugdales Moustache

Well-Known Member
Coventry Canal Basin investment V Birmingham Brindley Place investment.
Says it all.
 
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Otis

Well-Known Member
Coventry Canal Basin investment V Birmingham Brindley Place investment.
Says it all.
The council made a big mistake here though in terms of going for small businesses to fill the basin rather than the restaurant and entertainment angle of Birmingham.

What they did was make Coventry Canal Basin a bit of a pointless journey for the general public.

I used to go up there, but it's pretty much all just tiny businesses there working out of units and workshops.
 

Alan Dugdales Moustache

Well-Known Member
Blighted by the glorious ring road as well.
 

Otis

Well-Known Member
Blighted by the glorious ring road as well.
Indeed.

You can't blame the council on that one though in regard to the canal basin.

Council had plans to remove the bridge and have a crossing, to bring the basin into the centre and make it more accessible.

Of course though there was mass protest from the people of Coventry, outraged at the thought.

The concept has now been ditched.
 

fernandopartridge

Well-Known Member
Coventry Canal Basin investment V Birmingham Brindley Place investment.
Says it all.
Says what? Birmingham Brindley Place is in the centre of the city, near the convention centre and arena. The Cov Canal Basin isn't central really. The council aren't to blame for that.

Your posts on this thread sum up what I don't miss about Cov, constant negativity and whining with no solutions.
 

LastGarrison

Well-Known Member
I took a delegation to Bistrot Pierre on Thursday night and have to say I found it excellent. Food was good, service was good (the two who served us were Cov Uni students which should piss a few of you off) so would definitely recommend it and it was busy which for a Thursday night in the town centre is unusual.

A welcome addition.
 

Alan Dugdales Moustache

Well-Known Member
Says what? Birmingham Brindley Place is in the centre of the city, near the convention centre and arena. The Cov Canal Basin isn't central really. The council aren't to blame for that.

Your posts on this thread sum up what I don't miss about Cov, constant negativity and whining with no solutions.
Hahaha, I forgot. It's not in the city centre because its the wrong side of the ring road. Just how long does it take to walk from the canal basin to broadgate? If that's the case the train station is in the wrong place as well. I'm not whinging, I'm simply being realistic. You need to come out of the closet and admit its all pretty poor. Hertford Street must be one of the worst places of any major city in the UK. Makes Croydon look like Harrods. It's central. What's your excuse for that ? Fargo is something of a success, but it's not in the city centre. Why has this been a success while Hertford Street, the Bull Yard , Upper Precinct etc look like something out of a classic who's who of "Crap Towns Millenium Special "
 
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clint van damme

Well-Known Member
The council made a big mistake here though in terms of going for small businesses to fill the basin rather than the restaurant and entertainment angle of Birmingham.

What they did was make Coventry Canal Basin a bit of a pointless journey for the general public.

I used to go up there, but it's pretty much all just tiny businesses there working out of units and workshops.

I remember a tapas bar opened some years ago and it was decent. I spoke to the owner and the council had told him there would be more businesses moving in and they had plans for the area but it never materialised. As a consequence there just wasn't enough footfall and the tapas place shut.
 

Otis

Well-Known Member
I took a delegation to Bistrot Pierre on Thursday night and have to say I found it excellent. Food was good, service was good (the two who served us were Cov Uni students which should piss a few of you off) so would definitely recommend it and it was busy which for a Thursday night in the town centre is unusual.

A welcome addition.
There's a 19% increase in footfall around Broadgate according to the latest stats.

That has to be down to the new restaurants at Cathedral Lanes.

Plenty of choice now. Zizzi, Bistrot Pierre, Wagamama, Los Iguanas, Cosy Club, The Botanist (opening on the 26th), and then Turtle Bay and MOD Pizza to come.

Believe there may be 10 in total in the end.

The town does need more than just restaurants though to pull people in.

Need more stuff going on.
 

clint van damme

Well-Known Member
It came from the CT, but they may have been quoting the council. I do think though they may have been quoting the Cathedral Lane incumbents.

Just wondering what the source was, would it be data collated by the council or would individual complexes keep it or perhaps a combo of both?

Higher foot fall would be used as a selling point to attract businesses and to charge more for rates I'd imagine.
 

Nick

Administrator
Wouldn't they need to use some sort of CCTV to monitor footfall to show how many people are walking through?
 

Otis

Well-Known Member
Just wondering what the source was, would it be data collated by the council or would individual complexes keep it or perhaps a combo of both?

Higher foot fall would be used as a selling point to attract businesses and to charge more for rates I'd imagine.
Seem to remember it WAS the Cathedral Lanes group.

Not 100%, but pretty certain.
 

Nick

Administrator
Thats what I mean. They would need some sort of CCFC monitoring it to see how many people walked / hopped / jumped through broadgate surely?
 

WhaleOilBeefHooked

Well-Known Member
Says what? Birmingham Brindley Place is in the centre of the city, near the convention centre and arena. The Cov Canal Basin isn't central really. The council aren't to blame for that.

Not really true. The centre of the 'City' is around the Town Hall. I actually find Brindley Place to be quite far away from it and is about a 10-15min walk away. No more worse that the Canal Basin.

Council had plans to remove the bridge and have a crossing, to bring the basin into the centre and make it more accessible.

Because it was a ridiculous idea. Remove a perfectly fine bridge (only issue is the graffiti artists changing "Canal Basin" to risqué terms, i.e. anal sin) to put in a crossing next to one of the busiest junctions of the Ring Road. It would have been chaos for traffic.
 

Sky_Blue_Dreamer

Well-Known Member
Coventry Canal Basin investment V Birmingham Brindley Place investment.
Says it all.

Part of that was down to local pressure as they wanted the industrial heritage conserved. Having said that the council seemed far too quick to listen to those heritage concerns ahead of ideas akin to Brindley Place, which I suggested. I strongly opposed the creation of the Conservation Area around it and said it would lead to further decay.
 

Sky_Blue_Dreamer

Well-Known Member
Says what? Birmingham Brindley Place is in the centre of the city, near the convention centre and arena. The Cov Canal Basin isn't central really. The council aren't to blame for that.

Your posts on this thread sum up what I don't miss about Cov, constant negativity and whining with no solutions.

Without the ring road the canal basin would be deemed 'central'. Granted, it's on the opposite side to the train station but the bus station is very close and no further than Brindley Place is from New St.

I assume you remember how inaccessible Brindley Place etc was before they made all the changes to Queensway? That made all the difference to the success of that scheme and for the Canal Basin the ring road is the same.

I outlined a proposal to create a mile-long route through the city centre largely using existing routes called 'the Station' to the Basin' making a route with shops, restaurants, cafes, hotels etc with an alternative route that went via the Spires and other historic buildings depending on which you preferred.
 

Otis

Well-Known Member
Without the ring road the canal basin would be deemed 'central'. Granted, it's on the opposite side to the train station but the bus station is very close and no further than Brindley Place is from New St.

I assume you remember how inaccessible Brindley Place etc was before they made all the changes to Queensway? That made all the difference to the success of that scheme and for the Canal Basin the ring road is the same.

I outlined a proposal to create a mile-long route through the city centre largely using existing routes called 'the Station' to the Basin' making a route with shops, restaurants, cafes, hotels etc with an alternative route that went via the Spires and other historic buildings depending on which you preferred.
Sounds good.

I 'outlined' that the council bring the Swanswell Pool into the city centre too. Would be great to have that as part of the centre.

Definitely could be done.
 

Sky_Blue_Dreamer

Well-Known Member
Definitely. Do you remember the Swanswell Initiative of 15 or so years ago whereby J1-3 of the ring road would be lowered? Brilliant idea but was canned and they've been going round it with scaffolding ever since doing maintenance work on the structure. Probably the biggest missed opportunity in decades.
 

Otis

Well-Known Member
Yeah. Could be done.

You have the ugly Volgograd Place and then the place that used to be the Cyrennians and then Swanswell Pool.
 

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