This week’s round up of notable planning applications made to the council
St Nicholas Market in Bristol(Image: St Nicks Market/Bristol City Council)
A new disabled toilet could be made available in St Nick’s Market 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 Waitrose on Gloucester Road and knocking down a garage and building a new house. 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 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.
Disabled toilet in St Nick’s Market
Toilets in the St Nicholas Market could be altered to become accessible for disabled people. A new metal ramp would be installed for access too. The historic market in the city centre is home to a raft of different stalls, and is a popular destination for lunch for office workers and tourists. The toilets are currently not in a good state, and the only accessible one is hard to reach.
In planning documents, architects said: “Access to the undersized toilet facility is hampered by a narrow route past shop counters, use is restricted by shop opening hours, and public usage is by key request only. An alternative and better placed location for a public-access toilet is a top priority.”
Six years ago disability experts from the West of England Centre for Inclusive Living carried out an audit of the market. They said the market needed a proper disabled toilet that was easier to access, and the council should provide a toilet to “give fair and equitable access for all”.
The plans now involve reconfiguring the existing traders’ toilet, making it accessible to the public. The toilet is located next to the Low and Slow barbecue stall. A ramp would be installed, as well as handrails.
Waitrose on Gloucester Road
Waitrose is planning to open a shop on the bottom of Gloucester Road. The upmarket chain wants to take over the building where Future Leap, a co-working space, used to be before it closed in January. A planning application includes alternating the shop front and constructing a bin store.
The news was first revealed in March, but the planning application reveals more details about the Little Waitrose. The entrance to the former café would be replaced with a “service hatch for on-demand goods”. The existing green wall and stone fascia above the shop front would be kept and repaired.
It’s unclear when the new branch would open. Waitrose also has Bristol branches in Clifton and Westbury. As well as co-working, Future Leap hosted events, a café and market stalls. The firm still has a space in Clifton.
Replacing garage with house
A garage in Horfield could be demolished and replaced with a two-bedroom house. The new house on Keys Avenue would be two storeys, with an open-plan living room and kitchen. The works wouldl be carried out by the owners as a self-build construction project. The house will take up roughly the same footprint as the existing garage.