The statement below has been submitted by TRESA to the Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus – Phase 1 Consultation: Detailed design of residential accommodation
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TRESAcic wishes to make the following comments on the current proposal by the University of Bristol for student accommodation at Temple Quarter:
– We welcome the provision of student accommodation on site and hope this will relieve some of the inevitable pressure for accommodation in the surrounding areas when the new campus opens. However, greater clarity is required about the number of students to be accommodated and the proportion who are post-graduate or undergraduate. Initial publicity implied this would be a predominantly post-graduate campus, but this now appears to be changing. If 3,000 students need to be accommodated, and there are only 953 beds in the current proposal, much more information is required about the University’s overall accommodation plan for students attending the new campus.
– More information is required about whether staff will be accommodated on site and what level of supervision and support will be available at the student accommodation.
– TRESAcic is against accommodating students in high-rise tower blocks. If the University insists on having a ‘statement’ high-rise building (which we do not believe is necessary), it would be preferable to have it as a teaching/working building rather than student accommodation. At an earlier consultation meeting this concern was expressed but has been ignored. High-rise accommodation is associated with poorer mental and well-being. Given the University’s concerns about student mental health it is disappointing that more human-scale accommodation is not proposed. We are aware that various attempts are being made to mitigate the problems associated with high-rise living. However, the need to include such mitigation should raise alarm bells about whether the design is suitable in the first place.
– It is suggested that a high-rise building is required because underground pipes make part of the site unsuitable to be built on. However, for example, a design incorporating a ‘bridge’ of accommodation over the difficult part of the site could reduce the height and provide an interesting feature – an ‘under-cover’ area with café facilities where people could socialise in inclement weather. Better design could therefore overcome the difficulties of the site without resorting to a tower-block.
– Much more detail is required in relation to the transport plan for the campus. We accept that public transport links, and opportunities to walk and cycle, are good. But it is not enough to simply declare that the site is ‘car free’ and push transport problems out to the surrounding areas. The University of Bristol should commit to making a substantial contribution to the costs of establishing residents parking zones in the residential areas close to the site.
– It is argued that the impact of the new campus on the Bristol skyline has been an important consideration from the outset of the project and the building heights have been informed by a detailed Visual Impact Assessment. However, one of the iconic views for passengers currently arriving at Temple Meads station is the Totterdown escarpment with its colourful houses. No attempt has been made to publicise the impact of the proposed student accommodation, especially the 21-storey tower-block, on these views. This has been raised at least twice with the University but not addressed. It is essential that a Visual Impact Assessment is undertaken specifically looking towards Totterdown. It is also important that additional Assessments consider the views from Totterdown towards Temple Meads station. The height of the tower-block will fundamentally alter views around the station area.
– The University states the importance of engaging with local communities and asserts the aim of creating a liveable urban quarter, welcoming to all. We fail to see how local communities can engage with the proposed buildings, especially the tower-block. There is an opportunity to create a ‘student village’ that is much more welcoming, and more strongly reflects Bristol’s character – a city comprising numerous neighbourhood ‘villages’ each with their own style.
– We believe the designs for the proposed tall building suggest it is not of exceptional quality and as such contravenes the Urban Living SPD. It harms valued views from key vantage points in the city (particularly views from Temple Meads towards Totterdown), and the proposed design is for a bland tower which does not demonstrate a sensitive and thoughtful response to the impact on the urban landscape.
– TRESA is concerned about the process of consultation to date. We have had to remind the University several times that Totterdown is a densely populated area on the doorstep of this proposed new campus. However, there seems to be a reluctance to engage with Totterdown’s residents or to set up a local meeting. We hope the University will make amends for this oversight and work with TRESA to arrange a meeting in Totterdown in the near future.
TRESAcic
1 May 2019