River Sherbourne

Although I would like to see the river more opened up, it's not a major watercourse and unlikely to make the area more attractive, this section especially which is looking at the back-end of buildings. As someone somewhere pointed out as well, how will this affect the deliveries to Primark, which are made through this area? Personally, I can only see such a thing being used as a shortcut by people from the precinct towards Pool Meadow and vice versa. The businesses along Burges, Hales St and Trinity St will see less footfall as a result. If the entire area were being redone, and this area was to become a square it could be made the feature element of it, but for this kind of thing I can't see the point I'm afraid.

The 'River Quarter'. Oh dear. It's almost comical. Another half-baked 'public space' with the renders showing people sitting on terraces drinking their lattes and watching the world go by. We know the result already: a dismal space behind semi-derelict buildings and service areas, based around a stream you can probably step over in an area of the city that's so filthy and disgusting you feel like you need a shower when you leave it. I'd rather they spent the money reconstructing the streets and urban grid they destroyed. Or building squares that actually have active frontages on them instead of blank walls. Or filling in the gaps on that half-baked mess 'Spon Street'. Or removing the dreadful cage that's been put around the Herbert Art Gallery by Coventry University. Or removing the grim canopies like the one on Hertford Street. The city is cluttered up with too many poorly executed, half finished projects and dreadful, experimental ideas and has been ruined comprehensively to the point where no one even wants any of the centre apart from student developers building blocks for overseas students.

I don't think this has been posted before, an illustrated 'walk-thru' of the hidden river: (I liked the response to the comment #13).

Yes, what a good response that was.... and very restrained I thought !

Oh dear - I feel a 'Marina' coming on!

Thanks for the pic Dutchman. Not all will agree with me I know, but I only see a 'blot on the landscape' there. I think that looks sooooooo out of place although the title would suit 'Sighs'. Back to the Sherbourne. I am sure that was just a trickle we could see through Sherbourne Fields. I don't suppose even that's there any more.

Revealed: £2million plan to showcase River Sherbourne in city centre Telegraph readers' reactions

Hi all River Plans

The headline is a bit deceiving it's a 25 million pound student complex with a few metres of exposed river and visitor centre which looks like Terry Illingworth's old sign workshop.

I hope none of the few remaining old buildings that the nazis & council didn't get before are going to be destroyed.

Which buildings precisely do you mean? The ones along the Burges will not be touched, but if you mean the ones on Hales St then I fail to see your argument. The thing I can't understand is how they are arguing this will help revitalise Hales St and Burges. The entire thing will deliberately allow people to NOT use those streets in favour of a cut through via Palmer Lane? I can see people using it as a cut through, but I don't think it's somewhere people will particularly want to hang around. I'm not against the development, I'm just unsure as to the impact they expect it to have, and as I've said before I have reservations about the amount of student accommodation going up as it is putting far too many eggs in a single basket. My instinct is Priory Place Mk II, which given this site was supposed to be the final part of the original Priory Place is quite apt. As far as I can see it'll still be used as a delivery area and look out across the back end of a load of buildings. Not my idea of a place for a meal or a drink. And the 'river' isn't impressive - if you want to make it a feature you're going to have to uncover a great deal more than that, which would then take up pretty much all the development space. How do the buildings relate to the underground river? It seems like quite a big tower to put directly over it?

Maybe you should read the planning application? It has quite a detailed document of the plans. As a matter of fact, nothing is going to demolished, but one old building is going to be restored.

That's good (but with the council's appalling record on precious buildings it's not surprising if people are concerned upon first learning of such an announcement).