Wigley Group’s plans to create a neighbourhood for living and work, culture and leisure in Coventry and form a major new link to city centre could become reality in the next few Weeks.

Wigley have been masterminding the Daimler Wharf project to create this neighbourhood for the last five years – including 480 homes, a creative quarter and community spaces, and it is now scheduled to go to Coventry City Council’s planning committee this summer.

As well as creating a new community and regenerating what was the site of the world’s oldest car factory, Daimler Wharf will also link The Moorings housing development and Electric Wharf to the Coventry Canal Basin and the city centre.

Daimler Wharf, which is designated for housing by Coventry City Council, is already the home of Daimler Powerhouse building — the only part of the car factory to survive Second World War bombing — which Wigley transformed as part of the UK City of Culture.

Wigley donated £350,000 to allow the project to happen and also agreed a highly-discounted 20-year lease to the group of community arts organisations based there.

Robert Wigley, our Group Chairman, says the driver to create Daimler Wharf goes back almost 60 years when his father John founded the company.

“The Wigley Group has worked across Coventry and Warwickshire for almost six decades and created developments which have brought economic and community vitality, often on redundant industrial sites,” he said.

“The family recognises the role the city has played in the history and fortunes of The Wigley Group and has been determined to create something of community and regeneration benefit and Wigley believe Daimler Wharf will deliver just that.

“It is currently an industrial site and Wigley could have redeveloped it for commercial use which would have been swifter and more cost effective, but the site is so important strategically as it is the one missing link to the Canal Basin and the city centre, that Wigley didn’t feel it right to do that.

“The site is key to bringing economic vitality to an area just on the fringe of the city and, as a family and a company, Wigley realised its strategic importance.”

The development will include a mixture of one, two and three bed homes, flexible live-work homes and 1,200m of space for commercial, arts, leisure and community activities.

Wigley will also create a linear park and two public squares that will act as focal points for the new community, and there will be pedestrian and cycle links through the new community to Coventry Canal, car charging points, and an electric bike and scooter station.

Our CEO James Davies, added: “Wigley have invested heavily to masterplan Daimler Wharf to ensure that it will bring sustainable urban living and truly create a new way of community living. There is a huge emphasis on re-purposing brownfield sites, which requires fresh thinking and new ways of urban planning.

“Wigley have consulted widely with local ward councillors, the local community and business groups and have had 80 per cent very strong support which is unusually high for a city centre scheme.”