The numbers in coventry are not adding up. The 11th-Iargest cityin the UK has a population of 330,000, but its retail performance lags behind at 43rd, not surprisingly given that the last city centre development took place more than 25 years ago. To address this problem Coventry City Council and two key landowners have launched the first city centre masterplan.It is a long-awaited, much-welcomed proposal. Yet the timing could not be worse. The UKis now on the brink of recession, and retail is one of the worst-hit sectors. Many planning proposals have been halted as developers fail to obtain funding for new schemes that are also looking less viable.Furthermore, Coventry City Council's masterplan does not detail who will be developing or funding the project, or how the financial crisis is likely to impact. Even at this early stage, the question is how the masterplan can be turned into reality.Last month's launch of the masterplan, put together by architecture and urban planning firm Jerde Partnership, centred around improving the town centre's retail andleisure facilities. It is a partnership thatincludes the city council, developer Modus, which bought the West Orchards shopping centre last year for f 64m, and Aviva Investors, owner of the Precinct shopping area.
展开▼
