Gateway scheme the focus of Coventry conference

A COVENTRY commercial property conference will hear how a Midlands development has forged a new way of working in the industry.

Local law firm Wright Hassall has arranged its inaugural property conference for later this month and it will hear how the proposed Gateway scheme at the city’s airport has been developed.

The Coventry and Warwickshire Gateway would see the development of the airport, a distribution and warehouse park to the south and the creation of a high tech industries park to the north.The scheme would also include improvements to the Tollbar A45 junction, which is a traffic black spot.

Eleanor Deady, a real estate partner at Wright Hassall, said the scheme has attracted national interest because of the way it has been drawn up.

“The Gateway was one of the first major schemes to be drawn up since the formation of the local enterprise partnerships (LEPs) and really signalled a new way of working,” she said.

“Not only did it involve almost unparalleled co-operation with and between local authorities, it was extremely closely allied with the strategic aims of the region as established by the LEP.

“And, in a time when public expenditure has been cut, it also offered to provide a privately-funded solution to a traffic scheme which was significantly cheaper than a previous proposed solution which had been shelved.

“The conference will hear how that sort of working is likely to become more usual because of the economic climate.”

Martin Yardley, director of services and development at Coventry City Council and managing director of the local LEP, and David Kier of Roxhill Development will be the keynote speakers at the event.

Other topics will include the legal pitfalls in development, the National Planning Policy Framework and sustaining value in a greener world.

The free event takes place at the Woodland Grange Conference Centre, in Old Milverton Lane, Leamington Spa, on May 24 and places are available on a first come, first served basis by emailing ruth.farrington@wrighthassall.co.uk.