Frustrated neighbours demand action over derelict Coventry hotel
Plans to demolish Allesley Hotel were submitted in 2024
Neighbours of a derelict hotel which fire chiefs believe was targeted by arsonists this week, say enough is enough and want action from Coventry City Council.
Plans to demolish Allesley Hotel on Birmingham Road have been with planners since 2024.
Fire crews were called to the premises on Sunday afternoon and at the height of the blaze there were seven fire engines, a hydraulic aerial platform, a 4×4 brigade response vehicle and a crew from the technical rescue team at the hotel site. The blaze was the latest in a long line of attacks at the hotel which has stood empty since 2022.
Plans first lodged with the council sought permission to replace the hotel with 62 homes with a new access road off Birmingham Road. The applicant is Avant Homes West Midlands and as part of the development trees would have been retained along the rear of the site which backs onto Pickford Way.
But the plans hit the buffers after planning officers insisted that extra trees needed to be preserved. This, according to the developers, would have resulted in the loss of 11 homes which would make the scheme unviable.
The scheme was for 18 one-bed units, 20 two-beds, 20 three-beds and four four-bed units. No affordable units were included in the plans.
A post on the Allesley and Coundon Wedge Conservation Society Facebook page said: “The committee has taken the view that as these trees are not part of the village street scene and the current state of the site is an eyesore and a health and safety hazard, their removal to allow the site to be redeveloped would be a good compromise.”
The post added that talks were ongoing between the council and the developer’s planning consultant. But neighbours say they have had enough.
One, who did not wish to be named, said: “Residents of the area and the historical society in the city are in favour of redevelopment. We are frustrated with the repeated fires and anti-social behaviour the derelict hotel attracts along with the massive cost to public resources through emergency fire and police service responses.
“We are all keen to see the hotel demolished and new homes developed, bringing new life to what is currently a complete eyesore. Seeing an end to the derelict site will improve safety in the area and reduce the negative impact it is having on property prices.”
These ongoing talks have led to a revised site layout being published this week with a reduced number of properties and with a greater proportion of larger homes. Of the 55 homes now proposed, nine will be one-bed apartments, 20 will be two-bed houses and 19 will be three-beds. There will be six four-bedroom houses and a single five-bed home. The next planning committee is scheduled for March 5.
According to the council’s local list of heritage assets, Allesley Hotel is ‘a prominent building within Allesley village’ and was home to Lord Edward Iliffe, son of William Iliffe, one of the most well-regarded businessmen in the city and owner of the Midland Daily Telegraph newspaper which later became the Coventry Telegraph.
The building dates back to Elizabethan times with the mock Tudor frontage added in the early 20th century. It did not become a hotel until after WWII.