Plan to sell £1m club site for EV charging

The former working men's club site is now partly derelict and overgrown since the venue closed in 2011

A council is set to sell a derelict site to West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) for £1m so an electric car charging station can be built.

The site contains former Rowleys Green Working Men's Club, near Coventry Building Society Arena, which has been used for match day and event parking since closing in 2011.

Part of the plot is currently leased by a developer, with planning permission granted for a drive-through restaurant.

Coventry City Council documents reveal the WMCA has secured funding to develop a charging station, similar to a petrol station, with restaurant and retail facilities.

The two-storey former club, which lies off Burbages Lane, occupies part of a 1.5-acre site.

The scheme, recommended by planning officers for approval, would involve the city council selling its freehold interest, with potential to make "in excess of £1m".

The project would provide high-speed charging for at least 20 electric vehicles (EVs), according to the documents.

The deal would also involve the WMCA negotiating terms with the leaseholder "to alter the existing agreement to facilitate the development".

"Although the council rarely considers the sale of freehold interests," according to local authority documents, "given the public interest value of providing the EV chargers and the limited strategic importance of the site... the disposal is recommended."

In addition, the council would retain an option to buy back the site after five years if the scheme was not delivered.

Coventry City Council's cabinet meets to discuss the plan on 27 August.