Friargate Coventry

Coventry, United Kingdom

City population: 316926

Duration: 2011 – ongoing

Implementation status: Ongoing

Scale: Micro-scale: District/neighbourhood level

Project area: unknown

Type of area: Central Business District / City Centre

Last updated: October 2021

The Friargate is a major regeneration project that covers 37 acres around Coventry train station. This includes enhancing the Greyfriars Green (the only green space in the city), the development of Station Square Boulevard (a new tree-lined public realm), and a number of green belt sites around the city. (Ref. 3) The Friargate is expected to vastly improve the area’s public spaces and create new jobs (Ref. 1).

Source: Ref. 1

Overview

Nature-based solution

Grey infrastructure featuring greens
Alley or street trees and other street vegetation
Other
Parks and urban forests
Large urban parks or forests
Other

Key challenges

Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
Habitat and biodiversity restoration
Green space creation and/or management
Economic development and employment (SDG 8)
Economic development: service sectors
Tourism support
Real estate development
Employment/job creation
Cultural heritage and cultural diversity
Preservation of natural heritage
Protection of historic and cultural landscape/infrastructure

Focus

Creation of new green areas, Maintenance and management of urban nature

Project objectives

The Friargate development aims to "generate jobs, attract inward investment, draw visitors, create homes, encourage access to the city centre and bring new life and energy to the city", thereby vastly improving the public realm (Ref. 1, 6, 12)

Implementation activities

- A new tree-lined public realm (Ref. 1, 4) - Creating new jobs (Ref. 1) - Recreational offers (Ref. 1) - Work on the new layout at Junction 6: features landscaped areas which link into Greyfriars Green. (Ref. 5) - “Council leaders have pledged to re-plant at least two trees for every one removed at junction six - it follows an unsuccessful bid by campaigners to place a tree preservation order on 37 trees in Greyfriars Green.” (Ref. 2) - Develop on brownfield as opposed to greenfield spaces (Ref. 3) The master plan (Ref. 3) also includes the following to extend and enhance the historic Greyfriars Green: - Park - Soft landscaped area with public paths, mature trees and lawns. Any trafficked routes running through these areas should be ‘shared surfaces’ with details and materials appropriate to give priority to pedestrians and cyclists. - Ring Road Edge - Treelined or planted spaces - Public Squares - Hard landscaped open spaces with fixed seating, and tree planting. - Residential Courtyards and Gardens - Landscaped spaces with a mixture of hard materials, trees and planting.

Biodiversity conservation or restoration-focused activities

Biodiversity conservation:

Protect and enhance urban habitats
Promote environmentally-sound development in and around protected areas
Reduce negative impacts and avoid the alteration/damage of ecosystem

Biodiversity restoration:

Restore species (native, endangered, or unspecified)
Restore valued species
Other

Main beneficiaries

Local government/Municipality
Private sector/Corporate/Company
Citizens or community groups

Governance

Management set-up

Co-governance with government and non-government actors

Type of initiating organisation

Local government/municipality
Private sector/corporate actor/company

Participatory approaches/ community involvement

Co-planning (e.g. stakeholder workshops, focus groups, participatory mapping)
Taskforce groups

Details on the roles of the organisations involved in the project

The Friargate project is part of a city-wide regeneration effort. The City Council invested £40m+ to develop the first building in the scheme (Ref. 13). In February 2019, a 50/50 joint venture was established between the City Council and Friargate Coventry Development Ltd to lead the delivery of the business district (Ref. 13) The development of Friargate is led by Friargate Coventry LLP – which is part of the Cannon Kirk Group. Allies and Morrison, the internationally renowned architecture practice, has led the design of Friargate. The design team has also been supported by landscape architects, GROSS.MAX. The agents for Friargate are Avison Young. (Ref. 7) The project is also supported by regional government actors and the EU. - ”In May 2013 the government awarded £24.4M [27 million EUR] of Regional Growth Funding to the Coventry and Warwickshire Local Economic Partnership, £12.7M [13 million EUR] of this allocated to infrastructure works at Friargate.” (Ref. 9) - "The project also received £9.1m [10 million EUR] from the European Union Regional Development Fund to deliver key infrastructure to connect the site to the city (Ref. 13)" - For the 2nd phase of buildings, funding has been secured from West Midlands Combined Authority (Ref. 13)

Project implemented in response to ...

... an EU policy or strategy? Unknown

... a national policy or strategy? Unknown

... a local policy or strategy? Yes (Regeneration vision (including economic growth in the city, where Friargate is included: "Friargate development set to transform the area adjacent to Coventry Station and its relationship to the City Centre"). (Ref. 8) Coventry Local Plan, which includes Friargate as regeneration scheme (Ref. 14))

Financing

Total cost

More than €4,000,000

Source(s) of funding

EU funds
Public regional budget
Public local authority budget

Type of funding

Direct funding (grants, subsidies, or self-financed projects by private entities)

Non-financial contribution

Unknown

Impacts and Monitoring

Environmental impacts

Green space and habitat
Increased green space area
Increased ecological connectivity across regeneration sites and scales

Economic impacts

Increase of green jobs (e.g. paid employment positions)
Attraction of business and investment

Socio-cultural impacts

Safety
Increased perception of safety
Social justice and cohesion
Improved access to urban green space
Increased opportunities for social interaction
Health and wellbeing
Gain in activities for recreation and exercise
Cultural heritage and sense of place
Protection of natural heritage
Protection of historic and cultural landscape / infrastructure

Type of reported impacts

Expected impacts, Achieved impacts

Presence of formal monitoring system

Yes

Presence of indicators used in reporting

Yes

Presence of monitoring/ evaluation reports

Yes

Availability of a web-based monitoring tool

References

Ref. 1. Friargate Coventry (n.d.) The vision. The development. Available at: Source link [Accessed 24 August 2020].
Ref. 2. The Telegraph (2014) Seven facts you need to know about Coventry's new Friargate development. Available at: Source link [Accessed 24 August 2020].
Ref. 3. Friargate Coventry (2009) Outline Planning application Planning Design and access overview. Part 2. [Document provided].
Ref. 4. Allies and Morrison (2016) Second Friargate building secures planning permission. News. [Not available in 2020].
Ref. 5. The Telefraph (2015) Coventry's £14.9million Friargate bridge deck and public boulevard will be opened on Thursday. Available at: Source link [Accessed 24 August 2020].
Ref. 6. Friargate Coventry (n.d.) Creating a new business district for Coventry. Home. Available at: Source link [Accessed 24 August 2020].
Ref. 7. Friargate Coventry (n.d.) The Team . Contact. Available at: Source link [Accessed 24 August 2020].
Ref. 8. WSP (2013) Coventry Station Masterplan Report. Available at: Source link [Accessed 24 August 2020].
Ref. 9. Friargate coventry (2013) GW planning, Planning Statement. [document provided].
Ref. 10. Waterman Environmental (2010) EIA Scoping Report. Friargate, Coventry. Waterman Energy Environment & Design Limited. [document provided].
Ref. 11. Waterman Environmental (2007) EIA Scoping Study. Friargate, Coventry. [document provided].
Ref. 12. Friargate Coventry (n.d.) Friargate Coventry Leaflet. [document provided].
Ref. 13. Coventry & Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership (n.d.) Friargate Coventry. Available at: Source link [Accessed 24 August 2020].
Ref. 14. Coventry City Council (2017) Coventry City Council Local Plan: 2011-2031. [document provided].

Source: Ref. 1

Source: Ref. 1