Rainier Developments Limited is a property development company based in Henley-in-Arden with over 100 years in-house experience of land, planning and development.
We have been looking to work in areas where we see the greatest potential but, just as crucially, with authorities who are positive to deal with.
One of our major developments kicks off in a few days. We are creating 200 residential apartments in a new homes development where the London Road in Coventry meets the city’s iconic ring road.
To most Coventrians, that is the Elliott’s Car Accessories site, where the well-known automotive store stood for many years.
So why did we choose Coventry? Firstly, we see it as a city very much looking forward. It is, as everyone knows, due to be UK City of Culture in 2021 and it is currently European City of Sport.
The city’s two universities, which have both won a string of accolades in recent years, have been expanding rapidly, and producing top-level graduates.
Many of the cranes you can see on the city skyline are creating student accommodation to cater for that growth.
The Coventry and Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership is seen as one of the most successful in the country, attracting more inward investment than any other LEP area outside London.
The City Council is ambitious in its plans for the city as a whole and also for the city centre which has improved markedly in recent years with a far livelier leisure economy.
We felt, however, that there was a lack of private apartments available for sale and rent and that there is a market for that type of accommodation within reach of the city centre.
But while opportunities exist right across the UK, the “chemistry” had to be right and I can say that our experience of Coventry City Council has been only positive.
We attended MIPIM last year, but not as part of the Coventry and Warwickshire MIPIM Partnership, and now with work about to start, we are delighted to support the collective effort.
The fact that this year’s presence is the strongest yet, means we are not alone in our experiences and that can only be good for the regional economy.