Former Coventry Ikea to house cultural hub and art storage

The new arts venue will get a black and gold exterior under the plans

A former furniture store is to be used to house national collections of artworks as well as becoming an arts venue, a council has said.

The Ikea store in Coventry shut in 2020 and its leasehold was bought by the city council, which has revealed plans to turn it into a cultural hub.

Details of the plans have been revealed after a change of use for the building and external alterations were approved.

Work is due to begin later in the year and the site is due to open in 2025.

The seven-floor structure was left empty after the furniture and homeware giant announced it was closing the store due to low customer numbers and high costs.

Plans to turn the building into the City Centre Cultural Gateway were drawn up and put out to public consultation in February.

Funding from what is known as prudential borrowing was agreed by councillors in March, but the amount needed was not made public due to commercial confidentiality.

The building was closed by Ikea in 2020

The council has said work on the cultural hub will take place in three phrases.

Part of the building will be used as storage for collections owned by groups such as Arts Council England and the British Council, while the fifth and sixth floors will be turned into a gallery, library and other arts facilities by Coventry University.

Coventry group CV Life will use the ground floor for storage, while the internal car parking space will be enclosed and "future-proofed" by the authority, so work can start to examine how the area can be used.

The plans will also see the exterior given a new black and gold makeover.

Councillor David Welsh said the changes would "reinforce our city's position as a vibrant cultural destination".