Cube entrepreneur spreads his wings with £15m Coventry development

Property entrepreneur Neil Edginton is spreading his wings in the West Midlands after revealing plans for a new development in Coventry.

EDG Property, the firm behind such well-known schemes as The Cube in Birmingham, has submitted proposals to transform the 1950s Co-op building in Corporation Street into a £15m mixed-use development featuring retail units and private apartments.

The company wants to retain and be true to the mid-century architecture so characteristic of the city. This extends down to calling the scheme The Co-operative and using the existing 1950s lettering on the building frontage.

A key element would be the creation of a park within the development by removing a section of the building and creating the private amenity. There are also plans to add a members’ club to the top floor of the building, exclusively for the use of residents.

Mr Edginton, managing director of EDG Property, is part of the Coventry and Warwickshire MIPIM Partnership attending the MIPIM commercial property show next week.

The company will use the event to showcase the bold plans, which have just been submitted to Coventry City Council’s planning department.

He said: “We are genuinely excited about this scheme. We love the original architecture and want to draw that out and make it a feature of the overall development.

“We have successfully negotiated being able to use The Co-operative as the name of the development and retaining the lettering. We will be keeping the façade and making the most of the large glass panels.

“The overall project is around 140,000 sq ft and will include office, retail, leisure and residential and will be truly mixed-used.”

EDG Property has just completed the exclusive New Street Chambers apartment scheme in Birmingham city centre and the experience of this project will be carried over into the latest project.

“It will be something very different for Coventry and will take city centre living to a new level,” added Mr Edginton.

 “The park (below) will be a unique feature for the exclusive use of residents, which will give those people access to a tranquil green space in the heart of the bustling city. That, along with the private residents club, will help to set The Co-operative apart.”

With the development being showcased at MIPIM, he said the firm’s intention was to move the scheme forward as soon as consent was given for the project.

“When you look at what’s happening in and around that area of the city centre, I believe it will be a great place to live and enjoy – and we are really keen to be part of the city’s rejuvenation,” he added.

The Coventry and Warwickshire MIPIM Partnership is made up of leading companies and organisations which support the area’s presence at the event.