Planning permission has been granted for Bishop Gate, an exciting 1116 bed development for Coventry University, which was awarded the “Modern University of the Year Award 2016” by The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2016.
The development will provide much-needed purpose-built student accommodation for the University, on the site of a recently demolished Royal Mail sorting office in central Coventry, a 10 minute walk from the main campus. The design is based around a concept which seeks to protect the long distance views of the City’s “three spires.”
Orientating the five main buildings on a north south axis enables transparency between the spires, protecting the key views. This concept also minimises the acoustic and air quality impact of the busy Ring Road directly to the north of the site.
A three storey brick and sandstone plinth seeks to ground the building and references the historic scale and materiality of the locality. The plinth contains the entrances to both the student accommodation and two new retail units. This development will provide a new “destination” in Coventry and further assistance in regenerating this city centre.
Bishop Gate is a joint venture between Barberry Developments and Coventry University and was won in a competitive tender process in June 2015. The scheme was developed with input from Hoare Lea’s daylighting team, ensuring the student’s amenity was central to its design. The articulation of each of the five main buildings minimises overshadowing, and when combined with floor to ceiling glazing ensures that the appropriate amounts of daylighting are achieved within the bed rooms.
Coventry City Council had a proactive approach during the pre-application process ensuring a meaningful dialogue was under taken between us. Their pro development attitude and willingness to engage enabled a scheme to be submitted which allowed a detailed planning consent to be granted under delegated powers within 8 weeks.
Henry Bellfield, Company Director, Barberry Developments commented:
“Stride Treglown’s experience, strength in-depth and knowledge in the student accommodation sector enabled the team to progress the Bishop Gate scheme design swiftly. Coventry City Council’s planners were actively involved throughout the design development process with Stride’s knowledge and experience ensuring this collaborative approach resulting in a high quality scheme which received overwhelming support from the public.”