'Series of hotels' to be built at Ricoh Arena (14 Viewers)

This is the same council that have talked of ambitious plans to:

Build on the old post sorting office (nothing has happened)

Build on the site at the bottom of Bishop St / corner of Corporation St (nothing has happened)

Demolished the Smithfield pub and Shambles arcade for some new flats / shops in 2002 (nothing has happened)

Demolished some houses on Greyfriars Rd for a new development of flats (nothing has happened)

Demolished the fish market to build some more flats / shops (nothing has happened)

Have the 'Belgrade Plaza' development which has been half finished for 5 years or so

Therefore, I take council plans with a huge pinch of salt....

Buy photos » The Ricoh Arena. (s)

NEW hotels could be built at the Ricoh Arena, the Observer can reveal.

The surprise plans are expected to be put back on the table by the city council today (Tuesday).

The move was branded a game-changer by council finance chief Coun Damian Gannon, who is aiming to generate business rates and create jobs in the north of the city.

He told the Observer the first of a series of hotels could be kick-started on Car Park C within 18 months and that flexibility existed in council budgets to make funds available.

The plan makes up part of a wider plan to regenerate the north of the city, with money also being pumped into another long-awaited project at the Ricoh - building a train station.

The stadium has refocused its business on conferences and events since former tenants Coventry City Football Club left last summer. A hotel is already open at the site, the De Vere, but it has limited bedroom numbers.

Coun Gannon told us: "Put another hotel up there - and a series of hotels up there - and the Ricoh can attract bigger and more conferences. It creates jobs, more business rates and grows an area of the city that has, traditionally, been very deprived.

"I'm determined to get it kick-started again because it's an outrage that it's taken so long to get that project finished."

He added the council was still discussing what the best model would be and that it was unclear whether the authority would fund 100 per cent of the project or go into business with a private partner.

It would be highly unlikely the council would run the hotel, with other groups already working at the Ricoh touted as possible firms getting involved.

"There's a number of initial plans that have been mooted so far," Coun Gannon said.

"The case that I've seen - without going into specific figures - is a bit of a no-brainer.

"The demand is there for hotels, there's a shortage of hotel rooms city-wide and it can reinforce and support the business at the Ricoh, which is doing well but just needs a bit more investment so it can continue to expand and make a success of that area."

It comes weeks after leader Ann Lucas said the council needed to move on from the row surrounding the stadium's owners, ACL, and former tenants Coventry City Football Club.

"My frustration is that the whole project up at the Ricoh was never just about the football club," Coun Gannon added.

"It's a regeneration project and the club is, for me, a bit of a sideshow.

"We invested a lot of money originally to get it built up there and now we want to do what we can and push the project and show businesses what a success it can be and give them the confidence to invest up there.

"This is us moving on."



Read more: 'Series of hotels' to be built at Ricoh Arena | Coventry Observer

Interesting move by the Council, question is though is it a Bluff?

'was never just about the football'

fernandopartridge said:

This is the same council that have talked of ambitious plans to:

Build on the old post sorting office (nothing has happened)

Build on the site at the bottom of Bishop St / corner of Corporation St (nothing has happened)

Demolished the Smithfield pub and Shambles arcade for some new flats / shops in 2002 (nothing has happened)

Demolished some houses on Greyfriars Rd for a new development of flats (nothing has happened)

Demolished the fish market to build some more flats / shops (nothing has happened)

Have the 'Belgrade Plaza' development which has been half finished for 5 years or so

Therefore, I take council plans with a huge pinch of salt....

Click to expand...

There are already approved plans waiting for take up....

http://planning.coventry.gov.uk/portal/servlets/ApplicationSearchServlet?PKID=691932
http://planning.coventry.gov.uk/portal/servlets/AttachmentShowServlet?ImageName=726175

italiahorse said:

There are already approved plans waiting for take up....

http://planning.coventry.gov.uk/portal/servlets/ApplicationSearchServlet?PKID=691932
http://planning.coventry.gov.uk/portal/servlets/AttachmentShowServlet?ImageName=726175

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OK - so why haven't these plans led to anything being built?

Answer might be that the permission has expired - and the applicant hasn't applied for the permission to be extended, i.e. it's a non starter.

Why is the council now considering investing its own funds if this is such a viable project?

CCC said:

"My frustration is that the whole project up at the Ricoh was never just about the football club," Coun Gannon added.

"It's a regeneration project and the club is, for me, a bit of a sideshow.

"We invested a lot of money originally to get it built up there and now we want to do what we can and push the project and show businesses what a success it can be and give them the confidence to invest up there.

"This is us moving on."

Click to expand...

Coun Gannon has highlighted the mindset of the Council and Brian Richardson when the Ricoh was first planned and why we gave up our home of Highfield Road for the Ricoh..

fernandopartridge said:

This is the same council that have talked of ambitious plans to:

Build on the old post sorting office (nothing has happened)

Build on the site at the bottom of Bishop St / corner of Corporation St (nothing has happened)

Demolished the Smithfield pub and Shambles arcade for some new flats / shops in 2002 (nothing has happened)

Demolished some houses on Greyfriars Rd for a new development of flats (nothing has happened)

Demolished the fish market to build some more flats / shops (nothing has happened)

Have the 'Belgrade Plaza' development which has been half finished for 5 years or so

Therefore, I take council plans with a huge pinch of salt....

Click to expand...

This is the same council that built the Ricoh.

fernandopartridge said:

OK - so why haven't these plans led to anything being built?

Answer might be that the permission has expired - and the applicant hasn't applied for the permission to be extended, i.e. it's a non starter.

Why is the council now considering investing its own funds if this is such a viable project?

Click to expand...

It's normal business.
Once the application is in it just needs someone to take it on and do it.

More likely financial reasons it has not been progressed yet.

There is another a scheme I have seen where most of car park C is used, but I guess that would be a major change in direction to progress that.
The one above is just a corner of the car park and would not compromise car park spaces.

fernandopartridge said:

Why is the council now considering investing its own funds if this is such a viable project?

Click to expand...

Have you just answered your own question?

RoboCCFC90 said:

Coun Gannon has highlighted the mindset of the Council and Brian Richardson when the Ricoh was first planned and why we gave up our home of Highfield Road for the Ricoh..

Click to expand...

Do you mean our club sold Highfield road and then couldn't afford to build the Ricoh?

RoboCCFC90 said:

Interesting move by the Council, question is though is it a Bluff?

Click to expand...

Why on earth would it be a bluff?

Cool, another CCC wankathon awaits.

"There's only one Holiday Inn, one Holiday Inn", etc etc

torchomatic said:

Cool, another CCC wankathon awaits.

"There's only one Holiday Inn, one Holiday Inn", etc etc

Click to expand...

Not a bad comment from someone that tries to say he is unbiased.

RoboCCFC90 said:

Coun Gannon has highlighted the mindset of the Council and Brian Richardson when the Ricoh was first planned and why we gave up our home of Highfield Road for the Ricoh..

Click to expand...

What mindset was that?

Make your mind up is today's council bashing about how the Ricoh isn't viable without the club and that proves it's a white elephant or about how the Ricoh is viable and that proves how the council hates the club?

Careful you don't sprain yourself with all those mental gymnastics.

I blame both sides, call me what you want.

Astute said:

Not a bad comment from someone that tries to say he is unbiased.

Click to expand...

Astute said:

This is the same council that built the Ricoh.

Click to expand...

No it's not, Tesco built the Ricoh effectively, they even submitted the plans for the thing.

Astute said:

Have you just answered your own question?

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a viable project would attract private investment

And a Portugese bank were going provide the Club with the £20M shortfall instead of the Council until that deal fell through. How things might be different now.

fernandopartridge said:

No it's not, Tesco built the Ricoh effectively, they even submitted the plans for the thing.

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No you don't. You won't have a bad word said against sisu but can't wait to spout your usual boring bile at a city council that frankly is nothing to do with you.

Read (I know that may be a challenge) through some previous posts and you will see that I do blame SISU. My "crime" is also daring to blame YOUR council.

valiant15 said:

No you don't. You won't have a bad word said against sisu but can't wait to spout your usual boring bile at a city council that frankly is nothing to do with you.

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Astute said:

Do you mean our club sold Highfield road and then couldn't afford to build the Ricoh?

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No that's not what I mean, Brian Richardson wanted to build the Ricoh because he wanted a facility that we could benefit from 365 days a year not just on matchday's, i.e the Ricoh.

About time, rather than expecting any owners of the football club to build hotels, which was always a bizarre concept.

fernandopartridge said:

a viable project would attract private investment

Click to expand...

Doesn't the article allude to that?
Mentions possibility of current partners.
What Is more scathing Is the description of the football club as a sideshow.

Great. A vague idea to build a hotel and all the usual gang are here for the council mutual masturbation society.

shmmeee said:

Why on earth would it be a bluff?

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Trying to show Sisu that they're willing to move on and there are no struggles without the Football Club.

shmmeee said:

What mindset was that?

Make your mind up is today's council bashing about how the Ricoh isn't viable without the club and that proves it's a white elephant or about how the Ricoh is viable and that proves how the council hates the club?

Careful you don't sprain yourself with all those mental gymnastics.

Click to expand...

The fact the Ricoh was never built with just the Football Club in mind.

Totally agree. It should be the Council or property developers who build hotels, not a football club.

lordsummerisle said:

About time, rather than expecting any owners of the football club to build hotels, which was always a bizarre concept.

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Why would anyone need a series of hotels in the same place?

torchomatic said:

Totally agree. It should be the Council or property developers who build hotels, not a football club.

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Preston Haskell....???

ajsccfc said:

Why would anyone need a series of hotels in the same place?

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Again another valid point when you have the De Vere.

The door has finally been slammed and firmly shut!
Well done CCC & Anne Lucas, I hope your proud of yourselves?

RoboCCFC90 said:

No that's not what I mean, Brian Richardson wanted to build the Ricoh because he wanted a facility that we could benefit from 365 days a year not just on matchday's, i.e the Ricoh.

Click to expand...

And I agree with this. But Richardson failed our club and us.

Astute said:

And I agree with this. But Richardson failed our club and us.

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Couldn't agree more and that's where the whole shit storm started, back to topic though I can't see it personally for many reasons.

RFC said:

The door has finally been slammed and firmly shut!
Well done CCC & Anne Lucas, I hope your proud of yourselves?

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Slammed shut?

And for how long has the door been left open? How many offers have been made to SISU? How many times have SISU tried negotiating? All they keep going on about is building Fantasy Arena. Should CCC just let the place rot whilst SISU do what they want?

Hopefully one day something will happen where SISU will finally get around a table and negotiate. Yet some like yourself will blame CCC whatever they do.