There is a risk of ‘debris coming loose’
We The Curious needs repairs to the concrete on the outside of the building(Image: PAUL GILLIS / Reach PLC)
Concrete repairs are needed on We The Curious according to new plans recently submitted. Each week Bristol City Council receives dozens of planning applications seeking permission for a whole range of developments.
Over the past seven days, those applications also included a giant 10-bed shared house and new access to hidden service routes in the Hippodrome. Here’s this week’s round-up of notable planning applications submitted to the council.
The majority of applications are decided by planning officers at the council under delegated powers. However, some will go before elected councillors who sit on planning committees. No dates have been set for when the planning applications below will be determined. They can be viewed by going to the planning portal on Bristol City Council’s website.
Concrete repairs needed on We The Curious
Essential concrete repairs are needed at We The Curious, the Harbourside science museum on Millennium Square. The museum building was previously a goods shed for the Great Western Railway infrastructure around the harbour, and was built in 1906. Its reinforced concrete frame needs repairs due to several defects in the beams, arches and columns to the colonnades.
The colonnades are the covered walkways outside the building, with columns holding up the roof. Some of the concrete in several areas is cracking and chipping away, and steel reinforcements are corroding. Previous repairs were also not carried out “in accordance with good practice”, according to planning documents.
We The Curious suffered a major fire in 2022 and was closed for two years for repairs. Birds damaged a solar panel on the museum’s roof, causing an electrical fault. Without the concrete repairs, there is a risk of “debris coming loose from the structure and falling on pedestrians below”. The repairs are just planned for the external parts of the building, and not inside.
Giant 10-bed HMO in Fishponds
A giant house in multiple occupation with 10 bedrooms has already been created in Fishponds but its landlord is now seeking retrospective planning permission. The huge shared house is located on Manor Road opposite Fishponds Park, and was originally a large family home with seven bedrooms.
In planning documents, architects said: “The internal layout has been meticulously designed to provide a premium standard of shared living. The scheme features a spacious communal kitchen, dining, and living facilities that allow for comfortable social interaction, while ensuring that all individual bedrooms are generously proportioned for private use.”
A storage area is planned behind the house for bicycles and bins. Because the house is on a busy road in a “bustling district centre”, the architects added that few large families would choose to live there instead of a quiet suburban street. On the other hand the location would be “actively sought out” by young professionals and students, who often live in HMOs.
Access changes to the Hippodrome
New maintenance access routes could be created at the Hippodrome. These would lead to service voids in the auditorium areas, which are hidden spaces and cavities crucial to keep the theatre running. The plans include new openings within existing masonry walls, and installing new fire-rated doors, access hatches and ladders.
In planning documents, architects said: “The Bristol Hippodrome is one of the United Kingdom’s most significant surviving Edwardian theatres and forms an important historic, cultural, and townscape asset within Bristol city centre.”
The works will preserve the theatre’s historic fabric “wherever reasonably possible and minimise unnecessary loss of existing material”. The service voids in the auditorium areas are located above the ceilings over seating and walkway spaces. One void is located above the stalls, with another void above the Grand Circle level. These contain service routes and timber walkways.