Work has finally started on the long-delayed Palmer Lane environmental scheme.
The scheme will de-culvert part of the River Sherbourne in the city centre and create an attractive landscaped space for people to sit out by the river in an area with considerable heritage interest.
The Palmer Lane project is a partnership between Coventry City Council and Historic Coventry Trust and forms part of the wider Burges High Street Heritage Action Zone. Funding from Historic England has already helped to regenerate Burges and Hales Street and the proposals for Palmer Lane were the remaining uncompleted element of the project.
The project will include extensive landscaping, enhanced lighting and sustainability improvements to the area.
The scheme was given approval back in 2018, but has been delayed by Covid, the need to secure agreements with land owners and cost inflation. In July it was reported that twelve separate legal agreements have had to be negotiated. It is understood that the total cost of the scheme at that time was £2.402m.
The City Council’s Cabinet gave the final go-ahead to the scheme in July 2023, but there have been further delays since then. It is understood that if the scheme had not started this month, then the grant funding would have been lost and the scheme abandoned.
The project includes the restoration of the Illingworth Building at 26 Palmer Lane. This restoration is being undertaken separately as a private venture by Complex Development Projects Ltd but has not yet been funded.
Palmer Lane’s history dates back as far as 1225 and is thought to be where pilgrims lodged when visiting St Mary’s Priory. The ‘Palmer’ name comes from the palms (Christian symbols) that pilgrims used to carry.
The Coventry Society are partners in the Coventry River Cultural Programme which is complementing this scheme with a programme of cultural activity to support the regeneration. Unfortunately, the mis-match of timing meant that the cultural activity had to take place before the physical improvements to the river. Further cultural activity will take place as part of the Warwickshire Wildlife Trust led Sherbourne Valley Project.
