Historic Coventry Trust
Case study
Initiated by a 2011 campaign to save a treasured local asset, Historic Coventry Trust was created by Coventry residents to “preserve the city’s heritage for the next 1000 years of its history”.
Coventry City Council realised this entrepreneurial local trust would be best placed to look after many of the heritage buildings. So they asset-transferred 22 buildings and sites to the Trust.
With funding and expertise from Architectural Heritage Fund (AHF) and others the assets are being transformed into affordable housing, workspaces, guest houses, galleries and so on.
Seven of these Heritage Development Trusts are now established around the country thanks to AHF and to the leadership of seven different councils.
Image credit: Architectural Heritage Fund
"The partnership between the council, Historic Coventry Trust, funders and local grassroots leaders has been transformational for Coventry city centre.
The 22-site asset transfer from the council to the Trust set a precedent as the largest of its kind in the UK. The scale of this has been critical for us taking a holistic, city-wide approach to creating social value and meeting local needs, whilst also helping us to take a portfolio approach and make the numbers stack up"
— Graham Tait, Assistant Director, Historic Coventry Trust
Images: © Historic Coventry Trust
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