This week’s list of notable planning applications
How the student flats on Albert Road would look(Image: Smart Urban Living)
A giant 16-storey block of students could soon be built 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 new office at a bus depot and nine flats in Avonmouth. Here’s this week’s round-up of notable planning applications submitted to the council.
Every week dozens are validated by the local authority and we have selected some of the more interesting proposals.
All planning applications submitted to the council have to be validated and are available for inspection by the public. Anyone is also allowed to submit comments about the applications — whether in support or objection.
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.
Student flats with 350 beds
Developers are planning to build a 16-storey tower block of student flats with 350 beds. The plans were first reported on in March, when they asked the council if an environmental impact assessment was needed. Now, Smart Urban Living has formally applied for planning permission for the new block on Albert Road in St Philips.
The site is currently home to the Avon Crane and Commercial Repairs, on the Wincombe Trading Estate, next to the River Avon. The existing building would be demolished to make way for the student flats. “Flexible commercial workspace” would be included on the lower floors of the new building.
The wider area is undergoing a regeneration, with a new university campus being built nearby, as well as many other student flats. The Bristol Temple Quarter regeneration will see the area east of Temple Meads train station transformed from a largely industrial area to one that’s home to thousands of people, including hundreds of students.
New office at bus depot
A new office building could be constructed at a bus depot. The Lawrence Hill bus depot on Easton Road is a sprawling site used by First Bus. An existing single storey office building would be knocked down and replaced with a two-storey one on the north-western corner of the site.
More than 200 buses are maintained at the depot, ready for service each day. The existing office block fell into disrepair, and used to be used as the drivers allocation area. Since then, bus drivers have moved to another “inadequate” building, meaning they have to walk across the “dangerous bus parking area”, to get to their locker and be allocated a bus in the morning.
Nine flats and two shops
Nine flats and two shops could be built in a new building in Avonmouth. The building would be three and half storeys tall, on Avonmouth Road, replacing an existing single-storey building used as a construction business. Combined Building & Electrical Services specialises in commercial electrical and lift installations, and plans to move elsewhere in Avonmouth.
Four of the flats would have one bedroom, four would have two bedrooms, and one would have four bedrooms. There would be seven on-site car parking spaces, as well as electric vehicle chargers. The location is in the heart of Avonmouth Village, with easy access to other shops and services.