Coventry Cultural Gateway gets funding approval
Proposals for a multimillion pound development of a former IKEA store in Coventry have been given capital expenditure approval by councillors.
Planning permission for the City Centre Cultural Gateway (CCCG) has now been submitted following public consultations in February.
The developments will take place over three phases, with the first seeing part of the building become host to the collections of CV Life, Arts Council England, Arts Council Collection, and the British Council.
Phase two will see Coventry University take the fifth and sixth floors to create a cultural hub.
On these two floors, Coventry University will look to create a gallery, café, library and exhibition space, dance studio, conference area, artists’ studios, post-production filming facilities, and a shop for students to sell their artwork. The facilities will be available to hire and open to the public.
The third phase of development will see the Council enclose and future-proof the internal car parks.
Professor John Latham CBE, Coventry University vice-chancellor, said: “We hope this will be a truly transformative project for the city as a whole.
“For our part, the cultural hub would bring great benefits to both students and the public by making cultural activities and experiences accessible to all. We look forward to seeing this vision become a reality.”