And, at the same time, a concept masterplan to revitalise Leamington Spa’s Parade has received high levels of support.

All in all, there is over £500 million worth of investment already committed to help key centres in the region become fit for the future and in our latest edition of C&W in Business we showcase what businesses and residents can expect to see in the coming months and years.

City Centre South, Coventry

The redevelopment of the south side of Coventry city centre has been decades in the making and is finally getting off the ground.

The residential led scheme is a mixed-use development across 6.5 hectares of the city centre – and is described as the biggest and most important investment in the city centre ever!

It will create up to 1,575 new homes along with retail and leisure space and will include 20 per cent affordable housing across the whole scheme.

It will create high-quality public realm and landscaping which will help to green the city, continuing the ongoing improvements already made in the city centre.

There are opportunities for more than 40 new shops and restaurants in the first phase.

Demolition work started in June 2025 and is expected to be completed this summer. The first new homes will start to be built in the spring of this year and will be completed by the end of 2027. The first phase of scheme is set to be complete by 2032.

The Hill Group is the developer working in partnership with Coventry City Council and supported by funding from the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA).

Transforming Nuneaton

Warwickshire County Council (WCC) and Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council (NBBC) are working to deliver the Transforming Nuneaton Programme (TNP).

It is a suite of projects that, together, will provide Nuneaton with the economic boost it needs and help it become a strong hub for its community. Investment in the town centre has been sought to improve leisure and business opportunities; education and skills; unlocking housing development; and rail, highway and cycle infrastructure.

The vision is to transform Nuneaton into a prosperous town centre where people can live, visit, shop and do business, through excellent transport connections and high-quality office space.

Key initiatives within the programme include a new development in Vicarage Street, including Warwickshire County Council’s new library and business centre, with construction set to begin this year.

Abbey Street, also known as Grayson Place, includes the new Hampton by Hilton Hotel, which is already open and trading successfully, a new car park, college campus and leisure facilities such as padel courts and a new food court, which are under construction

Bridge to Living has been designed to increase residential opportunities in the town centre while the redevelopment of Debenhams will see the creation of 63 apartments, with ground floor commercial space.

The Station Gateway Masterplan sets out to maximise this transport asset and looks to improve access as well as create new residential and commercial developments, while other infrastructure projects include ring road improvements, bus infrastructure and access, a second train station access and new active travel routes.

Leamington

The concept masterplan to revitalise Leamington Spa’s Parade received high levels of support from local residents and people working in or around the town centre.

The Leamington Transformation Board, a body comprising representatives of the town, district and county councils, created an emerging Parade Masterplan before Warwickshire County Council surveyed the public, businesses and organisations across eight weeks last summer for their views.

And after more than 3,100 responses to that exercise were analysed – a very high number compared to similar surveys - 76 per cent of respondents either agreed or strongly agreed with the masterplan.

Key components of the masterplan include pedestrianisation of the main street, the creation of a new town square near Leamington’s town hall for community events and performances, and environmental improvements such as new trees, planting, and seating.

The survey asked respondents to grade their feelings around the masterplan as a whole, as well as individual parts of the plan, in terms of strongly agreeing through to strongly disagreeing.

All twelve aims were supported by respondents, with strongest agreement for integrating trees and water features (89 per cent agreed or strongly agreed).

It is expected that a final design for Parade will be shared with the public this year subject to councillors agreeing to take the plans forward.

And finally…

While it’s not a town or city centre development, another project is set to change the Warwickshire skyline.

Construction has officially begun on the Eternal Wall of Answered Prayer — a monumental landmark celebrating the Christian faith.

Set to rise higher than the Angel of the North, the 51.5m tall structure will be built from one million bricks, each representing a story of answered prayer. Once complete, Eternal Wall will serve as a ‘lasting symbol of hope and a reminder of Britain’s spiritual heritage’.

At a special ground-breaking ceremony in Coleshill around 200 guests — including donors, civic leaders, pastors and long-time supporters — gathered to mark the start of building work. The milestone follows the successful completion of the project’s initial £40 million fundraising goal.

Eternal Wall is expected to welcome approximately 250,000 visitors annually when it opens in 2028.

To read the full feature and see more artists impressions go to https://issuu.com/benham/docs/c_w_jan_26