'No brainer' plans for 358 homes in Bristol near the M32 approved despite concerns

Plans to create 358 homes in the St Pauls area of Bristol have been dubbed a "no brainer" and received unanimous approval, despite concerns local people could be priced out.

Bristol City Council's development control committee voted through the proposals 8-0 on Wednesday (26 October), which will see blocks between four and 10 storeys tall built near the M32.

This was despite the developers only designating a fifth of the homes as affordable, leading to one councillor suggesting local people may 'no longer be able to live there'.

Of the 358 homes, 72 apartments - consisting of 54 social rented flats and 18 "first homes" that are discounted for first-time buyers - will be classed as affordable.

The plans, put forward by Places for People, will also see a central square created, as well as a pedestrianised thoroughfare and 670sqm of commercial and business space.

Planning officers recommended granting permission for the site and told councillors at the meeting that the 20% affordable homes complied with policy.

The developer also said the plans will breathe new life into the 1.6-hectare vacant plot in Dove Lane, the site of a former paper factory that was demolished over a decade ago.

Cllr Fabian Breckels said: “I really like it. It’s inner city, at the bottom of the M32, it’s a site that’s been allocated, I like the contemporary design and we desperately need the houses.

“It is something of a no-brainer."

“I look forward to seeing the currently disused, redundant area transformed into providing housing that people need.”

But Cllr Lorraine Francis, who grew up in St Pauls, said while she had no problem with building homes on the disused site, she questioned whether the community will be forced out by the development.

She said: “We are getting to a point in the area where local people probably will no longer be able to live there, even though many have lived there for decades.”

Cllr Chris Jackson agreed that it would be good if the plans included more homes that were affordable.

But he added it is a "fantastic inner-city site" and he believes doubling the 63 trees and the amount of affordable housing can be "easily done".

'Not just another part of the city centre'

Cllr Guy Poultney said his only issue with the scheme was that councillors had to weigh up two conflicting policies, which he said was a "clash".

A recent planning policy insisted on higher density housing in central Bristol but a different policy drawn up by the St Pauls community in 2006 said they would like one in five new homes to have at least three bedrooms and be family-sized.

Most of the apartments will have one or two bedrooms, while 31 flats will have three bedrooms. All of the 18 "first homes" are one-bedroom.

Cllr Andrew Brown added that he had "one or two reservations" including the presence of a 10-storey block and the number of "single-aspect flats".

“But that’s a minor concern. It looks like a high-quality development," he concluded.

Head of development control Gary Collins said 20 per cent affordable housing in the central area was policy compliant, as long as work started within 18 months, so they could not insist on more.

Credit: Adam Postans, Local Democracy Reporter Service