Watkin Jones Starts Work on Huge Coventry Scheme

Construction work has commenced on a huge 778-bed student accommodation complex in Coventry.

Whitefriars Lane will be completely transformed once the new development is finished. The site is set to cover almost half a hectare of brownfield land on the edge of the ring road, which sits opposite the university's new Health and Science Building.

Developer Watkin Jones are hoping that construction work will be complete by the summer of 2020 in time for the start of the new academic year. The development will consist of two 18 and 16-storey towers, separated by a central landscaped courtyard. The scheme will also feature a roof terrace on the 12th floor of one of the towers.

Under the original plans two 13 and 17-storey tower blocks were proposed, however these were subsequently increased in scale to their current size. This led to criticism with the council's conservation officer suggesting the building would be too big for its location.

Watkin Jones announced a resolution to grant planning permission was issued in March, however the official planning decision is still pending according to Coventry City Council's website.