Belgrade Plaza facts for kids
The Belgrade Plaza is a big project in Coventry city centre, England. It cost about £113 million to build. It's called a mixed-use development because it has many different things in one place. You can find shops, restaurants, hotels, and homes all together.
Contents
Building Belgrade Plaza
The Belgrade Plaza was built by a company called Oakmoor Deeley. The project happened in two main parts.
First Part: The Car Park
The first part of Belgrade Plaza was a huge car park. It opened in 2007 and can hold 1,100 cars. This made it much easier for people to visit Coventry city centre.
Second Part: Hotels, Shops, and Homes
The second part of the project added even more to the area. This section is located near the Belgrade Theatre. It includes:
- Two hotels, like the Premier Travel Inn and Radisson Edwardian.
- A casino for entertainment.
- Many restaurants and bars, such as Pizza Express and Bella Italia.
- New apartments where people can live.
These new places brought more life and activity to Coventry city centre.
Unexpected Discovery: A World War II Bomb
During the building work, something very unexpected happened. On March 12, 2008, construction workers found an unexploded bomb! This bomb was from World War II, dropped during the Coventry Blitz. The Coventry Blitz was a time when many bombs were dropped on the city during the war.
When the bomb was found, everyone had to leave the area right away. A large safety zone was set up around the site. Many workers had to leave their offices and cars behind overnight.
Army experts arrived to deal with the bomb. They safely carried out a controlled explosion early the next morning, on March 13, 2008. After the area was checked and made safe, work on Belgrade Plaza started again a few hours later.
