Gigafactory plans pose questions about businesses which need airport
THE PLANS to build a gigafactory have been applied for. but what about the existing businesses running from the airport?
A friend of mine runs a training centre for flying from the airport and needs a runway to operate.
There has been no thought about what he is going to do – business scrapped overnight, all for the making of nasty polluting batteries and the chemicals therein.
I would have thought in the long-term, an airport is an asset to the city, a fast buck is promised to the airport owners no doubt sways logic.
KJ Clarke
Wyken
Congratulations on judo Olympic bronze
CONGRATULATIONS to judoka and Cov Kid Chelsie Giles on winning Team GB’s first medal of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
She’s made the people of Coventry very proud indeed a long way from home.
Paul Sheehan
Binley
Plans for Coventry city centre ‘just don’t make sense’
COUNCILLOR Jim O’Boyle has said Coventry is leading the way and showing others what a modern city centre should look like. He also said they are no longer about shopping and that more people should live in the city centre as this leads to less crime.
Traditional city centre models are not failing, but Coun O’Boyle and his friends are forcing major changes in Coventry which do not make sense. It is also quite concerning that Coun O’Boyle has not mentioned the importance of commercial offices in city centres.
A Centre for Cities report (2018) states that only nine per cent of office premises in Coventry is of a high quality. In addition, research by a real estates group (2020) predicts that demand for flexible office space will increase over the next 10 years. This is because workers want shorter commute times and less crowded workplaces. However, there is not enough high quality office space in Coventry to attract commercial businesses.
Furthermore, a local estate agents has previously said that too much student accommodation is driving other commercial businesses out of the city centre. What’s more, the market has now become ‘completely saturated’, forcing some developers to sell or apply for a change of use as reported recently.
There is no balance to the city centre economy or the local housing sector. This is because city centre retailers need footfall from office workers whilst workers also need affordable housing and better transport links. These are also some of the reasons why there are no high-end retailers in Coventry which so many people ask for.
People’s shopping habits are changing but I am not convinced that people will flock to live in Coun O’Boyle’s new urban paradise and help him fight crime. I am also concerned that building a new office block next to the rail station is not enough to attract commercial businesses to Coventry. This is because research mentioned above recommends creating small amounts of office space in the city centre instead.
It is important to get the balance right as the city moves forwards from the pandemic but local councillors appear to be taking a very risky approach. This can also be said of plans to turn IKEA into a new arts centre instead of using the old sports centre which is already owned by the council. It simply doesn’t make sense.
Ian A Rogers
Coventry Citizens Party
Help Breast Cancer Now with an Afternoon Tea in August
AS SOMEONE who has recently lost a loved one to breast cancer, I’ve seen first-hand the devastating impact this disease can have.
Four days before the UK went into national lockdown, I lost my beautiful mum to secondary breast cancer. I was 11 weeks from giving birth to my daughter, Sofia Lily, she would have been my mum’s first grandchild.
The Covid-19 pandemic has been an unprecedented situation for us all but losing my mum and grieving during this time has been incredibly difficult.
I desperately want to do everything I can to support Breast Cancer Now, who provide essential support services so people living with the disease, like my mum, are supported the whole way through their breast cancer experience, but they can only do so with your help.
Since the start of the pandemic, Breast Cancer Now has faced huge disruption. Its researchers lost thousands of precious hours in the labs and it has been forced to cancel hundreds of community support events – taking away a crucial lifeline for many.
That’s why I’m joining the thousands of others across the UK and having an Afternoon Tea this August.
Whether it’s a cuppa in the garden or delivering delicious treats to friends, anyone can take part.
And no matter how you choose to have your Afternoon Tea, all money raised will help Breast Cancer Now provide world-class research and life-changing support for anyone affected by breast cancer.
So, if there was ever a time to pop the kettle on and get baking, that time is now.
Fund-raisers can register to claim a free fundraising pack at breastcancernow.org/cuppa
Andrea Springthorpe
Breast Cancer Now supporter
EDITOR’S COMMENT
IT WAS great to see Chelsie Giles win judo bronze, securing Team GB’s first medal of the games.
Congratulations to her and to Coventry Judo Club which gave her the start she needed to excel in the sport.
It shows the importance of grassroots sport – for the physical and mental wellbeing of our children and young people, for bringing forward the next generation of elite athletes and the need for the Government to ensure clubs get the funding they need.
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