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‘Incongruous and overly assertive’ tower plans criticised
Bristol Civic Society has condemned proposals for an 18-storey tower that will sit at the centre of a new development in the Redcliff Quarter.
The tower, which is topped with a two-storey blue glass box, will jut into the skyline between One Redcliffe Street and St Mary Redcliffe church.
“The incongruous and overly assertive nature of the 18+ storeys element will be exacerbated by the addition of a blue ‘feature’, the equivalent of an additional two storeys,” the civic society said in a statement.
Joining Heritage England and the Local Design Forum, the voluntary organisation disputed the need to “build high” in an area previously identified in a 2008 council review as a conservation area.
The society said it hopes the city will learn from past mistakes of Radisson Blu and One Redcliff Street, which they say have masked important historic landmarks.
The society added that they are hoping for a “meaningful dialogue” with developers which will reduce the building’s height to a “far more realistic scale”.
Currently, the area’s buildings are no higher than six storeys, and Heritage England suggests that the tower would dominate both the skyline and neighbouring streets.
Read more: Plans submitted for Redcliff Quarter