“We care deeply about what happens on this special site”
The site of the former St Christopher’s School in Westbury Park, Bristol(Image: SCAN)
A former special needs school campus, which includes five large villas overlooking the Downs and a listed building, is up for sale – and community groups with £10 million to spend on it have around six weeks to make their move.
The former St Christopher’s School campus is perhaps the single most valuable property sale in Bristol in recent years – and could easily fetch an eight-figure sum when it is sold.
The site includes five large villas on Westbury Park, the eastern edge of Durdham Down, as well as the listed Grace House and a host of other buildings spread around nearly five acres of land in one of the most upmarket parts of Bristol.
Agents Savills are marketing it with a ‘price on application’ tag, but the site has previously been valued at £10 million.
However, the entire site has been designated as an ACV – an Asset of Community Value – which means community groups have six months of opportunity to buy the site if they can come up with the money, before it is opened up to any other private buyer.
Those six months end on May 28, and so far no community group or organisation has submitted a bid. In the meantime, potential buyers – including residential developers, care home companies and special needs school charities – have been looking around the site.
The vast site in Westbury Park was St Christopher’s School until it closed suddenly in 2020 at the centre of an abuse scandal. Since then, a plan to create 116 luxury retirement apartments with a combination of converting and building was refused in August 2023 after a huge backlash from local residents, which saw more than 1,500 objections.
The site of the former St Christopher’s School in Westbury Park, Bristol(Image: Google Earth)
They have formed a community action group called SCAN – the St Christopher’s Action Network – and successfully persuaded the council to give it the Asset of Community Value tag. Not only does that give any community buyer first dibs on the sale, but will also be a factor when whoever does buy it comes to apply for planning permission to change it.
SCAN said it hopes whoever does eventually buy the site has sensitive plans that won’t, as they see it, over-develop the area. A spokesperson said they want any potential bidder to consult with the community from the beginning and ‘respect the unique characteristics of the neighbourhood’
“We care deeply about what happens on this special site. We want it developed and brought back to life, but it must be the right kind of development that does not threaten the environment, cause traffic chaos and overwhelm this conservation area with oversized buildings,” the spokesperson said.
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“The last owner made some disastrous mistakes with their plans and we don’t want a repeat of that. A low rise, low density and low impact scheme is what is needed.
“So, we are looking to cooperate with interested bidders who genuinely want to work with and for local people. Please put our community at the heart of any bid,” they added.
“We trust any future bidder will recognise the importance of the ACV status – St Christopher’s gave more than 75 years of service to SEND children and families across Bristol. We want the city and the community to benefit again from this site….. so the new developer will need to honour this legacy.
The site of the former St Christopher’s School in Westbury Park, Bristol(Image: SCAN)
“We are in talks with a number of organisations and groups to find a way of bringing back SEND provision on site. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to create a scheme that offers real social value – let’s not throw it away,” they said.
SCAN said it has visited the site – along with bidders from ‘across the residential, care and SEND spectrum’. “The site is in a bad state of repair and several buildings, including the Grade II listed building Grace House, have been severely neglected,” SCAN claimed.
“However, the green and peaceful ambiance of the site remains – and this needs to be protected from overdevelopment,” they added.