Demolition plan for Coventry’s arson-hit former hotel
A residential development slated for the former Allesley Hotel on Birmingham Road has been recommended for approval by city council planners ahead of a meeting next week.
Avant Homes put forward plans to knock down the ‘eyesore’ derelict building in late 2024, intending to build 62 homes on the near five-acre site, which was home to a 90-bed hotel and conferencing facility.
The troubled business closed down in 2022, having been hit with an enforcement notice by Coventry City Council, who accused the owners of operating a hostel for people seeking asylum without obtaining planning consent.
Since the closure, two separate major fires at the 19th century hotel have left it “structurally unsound”, according to a report put forward with the application, with the building the subject of ongoing vandalism and arson attempts.
Emergency services attended an incident at the building this month, with seven fire crews involved in extinguishing the latest blaze on 15 February.
But the site could now be set for a brighter future, after planning officers recommended approval for a scaled-down scheme of 55 homes, the proposals re-worked following a wrangle over the status of 15 protected trees.
If plans are approved at a committee meeting on Thursday, 5 March, the existing four-storey hotel will be knocked down and replaced with a three-storey apartment block fronting on to Birmingham Road, with 46 detached or semi-detached homes built in the hotel’s former grounds behind.
“The proposed development is a flagship scheme for Avant Homes West Midlands, representing their first major development within the wider Coventry area,” said a supporting statement put forward with the application.
“It is on this basis, the Applicant has been proactive in ensuring the proposal offers a diverse collection of attractive, bespoke and architecturally interesting market housing, to showcase the best of Avant Homes.”
The application will be decided by city council planners at 2pm on Thursday, 5 March.
Plans and documents relating to the application can be viewed on Coventry City Council’s planning portal using reference: PL/2024/0002270/FULM
