John Moss of Complex
Development Projects said the café and restaurant units in Priory
Place will be built to a specification that will attract tenants.
He said the council-owned
restaurant quarter in Bull Yard had attracted interest from would-be
tenants, but the units on offer were the wrong size or did not offer
enough ancillary space, such as kitchen space, cellars or storage.
Speaking on the day that CDP
submitted planning permission for the £14 million development, Mr
Moss said there had already been firm offers for two of the eight
units.
There will be three large two-storey
units, two smaller restaurants and three coffee shops.
Priory Place will link the
quieter archaeological area of Lady Godiva’s cathedral with the new
square being built on the site of the Hippodrome.
It will include 85 flats above
the cafes, with a range of value from £55,000 to £135,000.
Mr Moss said:
“The biggest penthouse
will be 130 square metres, which is the size of a four bedroom
detached house. There will also be an underground car park for most
of the units.”
“A lot of people have said
they’ve looked at Bull Yard and they cannot get what they want.
“They don’t perceive the
location to be right or the unit to be right.”
There are also plans for a bar
called the Ribbon Factory in New Buildings, which CDP has an option to
buy.
If planning permission is
given work could start in January 2001, and might be finished by
Christmas that year.
Mr Moss said the apartments
would be available by spring 2002.
Phoenix Initiative Project
Director Chris Beck said:
“This is another piece of
the jigsaw fitting into place for the Phoenix Initiative.
”We chose CDP as our
partners because of their commitment to sustainable development and
top quality design using high-quality materials.
“It’s great to see the
old silk ribbon factory given a new lease of life and to see good
residential accommodation in the heart of the city centre."
