The City Council is moving forward with plans for the re-use of the Priory Visitor Centre and the Priory Undercrofts after several years of the buildings being vacant and deteriorating.
The Council has agreed Heads of Terms and will be finalizing a lease with Coventry University Students Union before the end of January for both sets of premises.
The Students Union are planning to operate the buildings as a cultural and heritage attraction underpinned by a commercially sustainable business plan. The vision is for the building to be dynamically used for a conference and training space, community place and cultural destination.
Before the lease is enacted the Council will carry out the refurbishment of the premises. This includes the replacement of the air conditioning unit in the undercrofts – this is needed to maintain the undercrofts as a schedule ancient monument.
Works on the Visitor Centre have now been completed but this revealed further problems with the roof and repairs have now been scheduled to be done in January.
Culture Coventry are relocating the nationally recognized collection of artifacts to alternative locations. They have commissioned specialist companies to undertake an appraisal of the artifacts and arrange for specialists to transport them to alternative locations.
The most significant asset is the Apocalypse Stone, which is to be relocated to the Herbert Gallery to be displayed alongside three large stoneworks from the city’s collection. The remaining stoneworks collections will be relocated elsewhere.
A very large piece of stonework which was originally part of a pulpit will remain in situ at the Visitor Centre as it is too large to relocate without risk of damage. Discussions are currently under way with the Student Union to ensure the conservation of this artifact.