News / bedminster
Planning permission granted for south Bristol’s tallest tower
Plans for south Bristol’s tallest tower that were first rejected and then approved have now been rubberstamped by councillors but a legal challenge could still scupper the controversial scheme.
The development off Princess Street between Victoria Park and the New Cut includes a 23-storey block of purpose-built student accommodation which if built would become the tallest building in south Bristol.
There has been vociferous opposition to the scheme for 434 flats and 400 student beds in four blocks, with a threat of judicial review by local residents on one side and the possibility that a successful appeal by developers if the planning application had been refused would cost the council £1m.
Windmill Hill & Malago Planning Group say the proposal “is out of scale for the local context” – image: Liz Lake Associates
Developers published new details about their scheme on the afternoon of the meeting which was being held to approve three specific planning conditions to do with adherence to the commercial strategy, mitigating impacts on schools and affordable housing delivery phasing.
During the meeting, committee chair Rob Bryher threatened to remove his Green colleague Lisa Stone from proceedings after she repeatedly interrupted both officers and councillors.
A visibly angry Stone, councillor for Windmill Hill, told committee members that the scheme should be “completely and utterly refused”.
Stone said: “I feel these people will not build that affordable accommodation. It’s as simple as that.”
Stone’s fellow councillor for Windmill Hill, Ed Plowden, said it was “not acceptable to publish pivotal information on the day of the committee” and that granting permission would “give developers carte blanche to set and push through their own agenda”.
Lisa Stone and Ed Plowden – Green councillors for Windmill Hill – went through a range of emotions as the Princess Street scheme was discussed by councillor colleagues – photo: Martin Booth
Green councillor for Southville, Christine Townsend, called the plans for mitigating the impact on schools “confused and muddled”.
Townsend said she does “not have confidence” in council planning officers’ knowledge of children’s education provision.
Labour councillor Zoe Peat said the application seemed “an absolute mess” and “so convoluted”, with Labour’s Kye Dudd saying it was “not good practice from the developer” to provide extra information just hours before the start of a meeting.
Green councillor Serena Ralston said the affordable housing on the site was being watered down and the last minute information received on Wednesday “feels a bit muddled”.
But Bristol City Council’s chief planner Simone Wilding said that not making a decision on the scheme “does bear risk… the longer this drags on”.
Planning obligations manager, Jim Cliffe, told councillors that deferring a decision would create “a bit of an impasse”.
The wording on the three recommended conditions were eventually approved with four councillors voting for (Lib Dem Andrew Varney, Conservative Richard Eddy, Green Elly Freeman and Green Rob Bryher), one against (Labour Zoe Peat) and three abstentions (Green Serena Ralston, Labour Kye Dudd and Labour Katja Hornchen).
Main image: Landgage
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