Look: This town centre building has been snapped up for redevelopment

Another huge empty building in Nuneaton has been bought by those hoping to transform the town centre.

The former tax office – Powell House, on Church Street – has been snapped up for an undisclosed fee by Warwickshire County Council.

It comes less than a week after CoventryLive revealed the former Royal Mail office, also in Church Street, was bought for the ‘Transforming Nuneaton’ programme .

Further work is taking place to secure more space in the area to create a package of land to promote to developers.

And that could see the face of the area change completely.

Watch: The plans to transform the town centre

Councillor Izzi Seccombe, Shire Hall leader, said: “These are important landmarks in our ambitions for Nuneaton town centre.

“We are putting everything in place now so that we can work with the borough council to identify a suitable developer to carry out the scheme and give Nuneaton a vibrant town centre that will be ideally suited for the future; a place where people will want to live, work and socialise.”

The ‘Transforming Nuneaton’ project was launched almost two years ago – and work has been progressing since then.

The former Post Office on Church Street has also been snapped up as part of the programme, and changes have been made to the Coton Arches roundabout.

The former Co-op building is also being demolished, and the county council has also applied for planning permission to demolish the old church hall on Vicarage Street .

Plans to improve the ring road, especially near to the train station and at the dandelion fountain, have also been discussed.

‘Exciting times ahead’

Cllr Julie Jackson, Leader of Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Counci   said: “This is an important acquisition for Nuneaton as it opens up opportunities in the Church Street area of town.

 “The Transforming Nuneaton programme continues to gather pace and it is wonderful to see the progress that has already been made across the town.

“Demolition work is well underway on the former Co-op building, our last major purchase, and the McCarthy and Stone development on Church Street is moving on quickly.

 “There are exciting times ahead as Nuneaton’s transformation progresses and our ambition for the town is realised.”

Redeveloping the Church Street area is key to the scheme said Sean Farnell, a board director at the Coventry and Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership.

“The area around Church Street is one of the main routes into the town centre and is a key area for the Transforming Nuneaton project, so this purchase is another fantastic step in laying the foundations in revitalising the town,” he said.

“The project is gathering momentum with this recent purchase and the ongoing demolition of the Co-op building, and we’re looking forward to bringing Nuneaton’s transformation to life over the coming years.”

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