Ikea project set for major changes

Councillor Naeem Akhtar suggested the amended plans would retain access to a £5m Levelling Up grant

A £60m plan to transform a former Ikea building in Coventry city centre into a storage site for some of the nation's most important artworks is set to be revised in order to "future proof" the site.

In addition to storage facilities, Coventry City Council's Cultural Gateway project would also feature areas open to the public on lower floors.

Under a new planning application for the site, an existing three-floor multi-storey car park would be demolished after exposed metal beams were damaged by bad weather.

It would also see retail space made available on the ground floor.

The building was the UK's first city centre Ikea when it opened in 2007, but it has been empty since closing its doors in 2020

By making room for retail space, documents supplied with the planning application suggested it would result in "future proofing the ground floor of the building and providing more flexibility for potential tenants".

This is a change from the original plan to move Coventry Transport Museum to the ground floor, something the council has received a £5m grant from government to help deliver. The museum would be moved to the first floor instead.

Planning documents suggest the changes will have a "cost benefit" for the project, although figures are still to be finalised. The cost of the overall project has not been publicly disclosed, but the BBC has seen private reports that predicted capital expenditure would reach £60.1m.

Coventry Transport Museum could be moved to the former Ikea building under plans for the Cultural Gateway

Coventry City Council's cabinet member for communities, Councillor Naeem Akhtar, said the £5m Levelling Up grant from central government would not be lost as a result of the changes as "the ground floor will be for retail and the public and community use".

Asked if moving Coventry Transport Museum from its existing home in Millenium Place risked filling one city centre landmark at the expense of another, he insisted he was "sure" the existing museum base would not be left empty.

He said: "Moving the transport museum into the Cultural Gateway is an ongoing discussion."

He added the council was "exploring different ideas" to move the museum and what to do with the existing site.

The original developers of the site entered administration just two months after being appointed by Coventry City Council

The seven-floor building opened as a furniture store in 2007 and closed in February 2020, but plans to repurpose it have faced repeated setbacks.

Escalating costs have seen the Labour-run council forced to invest more money than expected in the project and it was later forced to find a new developer after the original contractor, ISG, entered administration.

The latest planning application for the site will need to be considered before it expires on 18 November.