News / Development
Fresh criticism of ‘nightmare’ plans for south Bristol’s tallest ever building
Plans to build a 23-storey tower of flats and student accommodation in south Bristol have been hit with fresh criticism.
Developers are applying to Bristol City Council for planning permission to build the giant block of student flats in between the Banana Bridge and Victoria Park.
These plans were slammed as a “nightmare aberration” and with “suboptimal liveability”.
Developers are proposing a 23-storey building near the Banana Bridge – photo: Martin Booth
Tall towers are shooting up elsewhere in Bristol, like the city centre, but south of the river has not yet seen many tall buildings being constructed.
Proponents of building tall purpose-built student accommodation say that this relieves the pressure on the housing market, as fewer students compete for a scarce number of shared houses.
But critics of these tall towers say they harm historic and important views of Bristol, as well as needing more carbon-intensive steel and concrete to build and energy to heat and cool.
George Ferguson, the former independent mayor of Bristol from 2012 to 2016, tweeted: “This is an aberration — a legacy of the Marvin regime — an environmental disaster that flies in the face of local residents and good green policy. Let’s save Bristol from this planning nightmare.”
The former mayor and architect has been a frequent critic of both the proliferating number of very tall towers being built across Bristol and his successor, the Labour mayor Marvin Rees who led the city council from 2016 until 2024.
As well as his criticism, the planned new tower came under fire from Ed Plowden, the Green Party councillor who represents Windmill Hill.
Many are concerned about how the structure would affect views from Victoria Park – photo: Martin Booth
Commenting on the application, Plowden said: “The proposal would cause unacceptable townscape and visual harm to the local area, failing to achieve a context-responsive, well designed place and would deliver suboptimal liveability.
“Insufficient and unconvincing evidence has been provided to demonstrate the height would avoid harm … to nearby heritage assets.”
Galliard Apsley Partnership, the developers, are planning to build 437 apartments, student flats with 400 beds, more than 1,200 square metres of commercial floorspace and a public square with wide boulevards.
The scheme would “kickstart” the regeneration of the surrounding area along Whitehouse Street, which over the coming years will change from industrial to residential.
The site is located on Princess Street and is currently home to low-rise buildings constructed in the 1970s, like a car garage.
The area used to be home to terraced houses but these were bombed during the second world war and then cleared in the 1950s to make way for industrial buildings.
The regeneration of the Whitehouse Street area marks a return to people living there.
The flats would be split across a few blocks, with the tallest reaching 23 storeys.
One chief concern is how they would be visible from Victoria Park, particularly a popular spot for sitting that currently has a panoramic view over Bristol.
In planning documents, architects said: “The height of blocks A-C allows visibility of heritage assets and the wooded skyline while helping to maintain a panoramic ‘composition’ of the view.
“The massing allows views of St Mary Redcliffe Church as well as into the city.”
Alex Seabrook is a local democracy reporter for Bristol.
Main photo: Galliard Apsley Partnership
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