Work underway on £60m student accommodation scheme

WORK has started on the initial phase of a new multi-million-pound student accommodation scheme in Coventry.

The £60m Bishop Gate scheme is being developed by Coventry University and Barberry Developments.
 
The project will see the site of the former Royal Mail sorting office transformed into three accommodation blocks for over 700 students. Options to extend the project to a second phase with the construction of two additional blocks are now under review.
 
Two shop units facing out onto Tower Street will be accessible to the public as part of a wider ground floor complex encompassing social spaces and support services for students.
 
It is anticipated that work will be completed by August 2018, ready for the September 2018 student intake.

A public consultation on the project took place in October last year to seek views and feedback on the plans from residents of the city.
 
Rob Talliss, director of estate development at Coventry University, said: “The public consultation last year was a useful exercise giving us an opportunity to take on board much of the feedback we received from the people of Coventry. That resulted in some minor changes to the plans – namely some design tweaks to soften the impact of the buildings on the skyline.
 
“It’s great to finally kick start work on the site, and it won’t be long before we start to see the new complex taking shape in a part of the city that will really benefit from this kind of investment. We very much look forward to welcoming our new students to this new accommodation in 2018.”