Broadgate

And I've just noticed - the Hotel Leofric's a Travelodge now. When I was at Lexor, they had an account at the French Restaurant at the Leofric - and used it liberally! So I got some quite interesting company lunches - and the one year even the Christmas staff party was there! Looking at these photographs, though, I reckon someone has a huge grudge against the city.

My wife and I spent a couple of hours in the centre last month in one of our flying visits, and I thought it was simply depressing. I guess all those slabs will make a great helipad. Of course, that's SUCH a good idea, they would then HAVE to shift Godiva, having already got rid of Leofric (thanks a lot, Travelodge - a SERIOUSLY great idea, that one - why bother to distinguish between the Coventry Travelodge and the thousands of others - make people feel at home wherever they are!). I don't like speaking ill of my home town (city! sorry!), but I agree with all the other "Grouches" on this Forum. The city is being raped!

Just had this posted through the door - Cityvision. I know this site is linked to the Council. "Regeneration projects across the city are progressing well. Now that Broadgate is traffic-free, people are beginning to get a better feel for the size of the square. Buses and taxis have been relocated, with buses now stopping in the Burges and taxis at a new rank in Greyfriars Lane. Pavements have also been improved for wheelchair users. "The route from Coventry railway station into the city centre, via Bull Yard, is being made safer and more attractive. The work will create a greener, more landscaped area and includes re-paving paths, installing a zebra crossing and filling in the two subways. Work at Junction 6 of the ring road is to install a Toucan crossing will start after the January sales. "Work has started outside Holy Trinity Church and will include removing bus shelters, and the provision of two grassed areas more trees and benches. "Improvements to Hertford Street include repairs, replacing benches, upgrading the lighting, improving shop fronts and de-cluttering the street scene". There is also a photo of the new look junction at Gosford Street. Guess what it is, yes you've got it, SLABS.

Sounds like I was right about the slabs then! Let's hope the landscaping will improve things.

The sooner they get rid of Cathedral Lanes the better. There's hardly anything left in it now anyway! I was trying to look under the layers that had been revealed when they were digging down before laying the paving the other week.

Do any of our "beloved" overpaid Councillors ever look at this website? If so, I do hope they are highly embarrassed by the comments about 'Broadgate being such an eyesore' compared to years ago mentioned by so many of our citizens on this site. A child could tell these "experts" why our town centres are "dying". You don't need to pay some shopping tsar a fortune to realise it's because of the high car park charges & the way the shops are badly spaced. As someone said earlier, why would you pay a "fortune" to park your car after queuing up to get in the carpark for ages, when you can drive to a retail shopping park, & park for free? It's not rocket science Councillors! Doh! Homer Simpson could have worked that out. The only town centre I like shopping in is Leamington Spa, & even there the greedy Council has stopped free parking in most places near the city centre. When will they learn?

News from today's Telegraph of the planting of the first tree in Broadgate First tree planted in Coventry's new Broadgate square

Looks a little forlorn when you take a step back and look at the wider view, and wonder, why plant it in the middle of a building site? I can't see it all being ready at the rate they are progressing

I thought there were already a number of trees planted in 'the square'. Beautiful established trees too. What happened to them. They could have just as easily paved round those. What a waste of money.

I didn't think they could make Broadgate ever duller and drearier, but they have managed it. Sorry, I don't like it now, I didn't like it much 23 years ago, and I hated it with that stupid canopy. Personally, I prefer its pre-war configuration with good links down to Hertford Street/Trinity Street/The Burges (Not that horrible tunnel and the odd way Primark juts out and leaves a towering blank wall facing Holy Trinity and the Burges) When it was the intersection of the city's main spinal routes, then it was a busy place and a proper city square. Now it's just a shopping plaza in decline. People in Coventry long for something that never existed - you've never been able to see the Cathedral from the precinct, other than the tower. The topography of the land means it's on the other side of a hill to the precinct, and there's also County Hall in the way (And before Cathedral Lanes, the old Library.) Cathedral Lanes must be almost empty these days? I have no time for patches of green in city centres either. If I want greenery I'll go to a park or the countryside or move to Milton Keynes which is very green. Cities are all about the built environment, density of people and services. In Coventry city centre there are actually plenty of green spaces, but they're mainly there to hide the fact that no one wants to do anything with the land! Such as the land around the old Gatehouse on Much Park Street.

I totally disagree with your comment. I think most people like to see some green space to break up the 'concrete jungle'. You only have to go into the city centre in the summer and everyone flocks to sit on the small patch of grass outside the library.

I totally agree to having good links to Hertford Street and so on. The heart and soul has been ripped out of the city and all the historical areas are being pushed out of the way including the beloved cathedrals (old and new). It's ironic that I thought that was was Coventry was known for. As for Primark - you have hit the nail on the head Flapdoodle.

It's a sad fact that if it wasn't for Primark, Broadgate would be pretty much deserted. This store is the main reason that a lot of "young" people shop in the city centre - as proven by the number of brown paper carrier bags you see that are emblazoned with the stores name.

I think you miss the point. It's not about the store, but the layout of the buildings. The prewar layout had a large building on the site of Ironmonger Square but retained the street links from Broadgate down to the Burges and Trinity Street - the replacement building cut off the area and created a strange dog leg layout and an area dominated by blank walls and a grotty tunnel as access. Hence you have odd patches of land like Ironmonger Square, and a generally poor townscape of empty spaces with no active frontages on them and no urban character, such as the lifeless area opposite Holy Trinity (as Tony Robinson said on Time Team when he was looking at this particularly poor view, "progress, eh?").

I know this isn't the best picture showing Broadgate as it's a mainly family shot but I think the view is better than the one we have today! Paula