An update from Windmill Hill & Malago Community Planning Group (WHaM) on the developments around Bedminster Green is reproduced below. More information about WHaM is on their website here: http://www.whambristol.org.uk/
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The Pring site
Appeals against the refusal of application 19/00267/F, and the non-determination of 19/05740/F, both for student towers, were heard by the Planning Inspector on 15th December. A decision is expected in the new year. All the available paperwork is on the planning portal. Go to https://pa.bristol.gov.uk/online-applications/search.do?action=simple and search for the planning reference, then look at Documents.
St Catherine’s
Application 18/05310/F was refused in Feb 2020. The appeal, which will be a Public inquiry and take approx. 4 days, starts on Jan 25th. The public can attend and are encouraged to participate. Firmstone have also submitted a second application, 20/04934/P. The deadline for comments has passed, but you can still send in your views. Details for both are on the portal
New Application 20/05811/F
There is a new application for student towers (837 student rooms) on a large site formed by the NCP car park on Dalby Ave, Clarke St and what is currently an industrial plot on Whitehouse Lane. Please do have a look at the documents on the portal. The Visual Verified Montages, at the bottom of the list of documents, are thorough and give a good coverage of what the site will look like in relation to the City Farm, Victoria Park and Dalby Av. The deadline for comments is 13th Jan 2021.
WHaM were asked to comment on the plans, by the South Bristol Voice. Our response is below.
The developers consulted with the community during the development of these plans, but we feel disappointed that we weren’t really listened to. The end product has increased in density and massing to provide for even more students than we had either expected or been allocated within the forthcoming local plan from Bristol City Council. The two student sites on Bedminster Green will take us far in excess of the 1000 students we were anticipating, making the area student heavy. Sadly there is still virtually no affordable housing across any of the sites on Bedminster Green.
We like the improvements to the river and the links to Clarke St, and there will be plenty of new trees and planting. There will also be commercial and, maybe, community space. The buildings are varied in height and design and the complex should work well as a student base. The building heights adhere to the Framework maximum of 9 storeys and have been thoughtfully integrated with public space and planting. Unfortunately, when viewed from the nearby Windmill Hill City Farm or from Alfred Rd in Windmill Hill itself, the buildings, because of their height and relative positioning, create an impermeable and rather oppressive wall of development which we will all notice, particularly if the other developments alongside it also get built. We had hoped that new development across Bedminster Green would draw people to the centre of Bedminster, instead some parts of the community are being walled off.
If you have any questions, please email whamalago@gmail.com and we will try to help