Bristol City Council hopes the Frome Gateway regeneration project will help tackle the housing crisis, providing new homes close to the city centre
Proposals for student flats and a community centre on Little George Street in St Judes – illustration of Dandara’s proposed building with a ground floor community space for the local Mosque, and student accommodation above(Image: JTP Architects)
Bristol Live readers have been expressing strong opinions following the advancement of plans for hundreds of new flats in Bristol. The scheme has been met with mixed reactions, with some welcoming the addition of more homes in the city centre, while others argue that it won’t benefit those most in need.
Debates have centred around issues such as density, the green belt, rental prices, climate impact and potential ownership of the new apartments.
The approval of hundreds of flats marks the beginning of a significant regeneration project in an area behind Cabot Circus. Developers have now secured planning permission to construct 350 flats, along with student accommodation on two neighbouring industrial sites in St Jude’s.
Over the coming years, St Jude’s will undergo a transformation, with warehouses being replaced by upscale apartments and the River Frome becoming accessible with the creation of new riverside parks. The neighbourhood already houses some residential properties and music venues, but will soon welcome thousands more residents.
Bristol City Council is hopeful that the Frome Gateway regeneration project will contribute to addressing the housing crisis, by providing new homes in close proximity to the city centre. On Wednesday, December 17, Councillors on planning committee A unanimously approved two separate but adjacent schemes.
The first application pertains to the Crown Sawmills timber yard, located between Pennywell Road and the River Frome. Of the 352 homes planned, a fifth will be categorised as affordable.
The flats will be distributed across four blocks, with the tallest reaching a height of 20 storeys.
One early comment by 6470, who writes: “More flats just what Bristol needs – NOT. When are the council and the government going to learn we need houses, not rabbit hutches in the sky. When Labour got in I thought they might change the rules and think of people not just numbers of flats but it seems they are no different than the last government.
Katiem adds: “The ruination of Bristol continues. It used to be a great city.”
HanhamHeights comments: “We don’t fix a housing crisis by endlessly pushing low-density houses into the green belt and pretending that’s sustainable. That just creates sprawl: longer commutes, more cars, more congestion, more infrastructure cost, and still not enough homes. Cities have to add density near jobs, transport and services. Flats in inner Bristol mean people can actually live close to where they work instead of being pushed 20 miles out and forced into cars. That’s how every successful city deals with housing pressure. If everyone gets a house with a garden, you either destroy the green belt or accept that younger people never live near the city again.”
Jacksthelad02 replies: “Do you support more high density housing for Hanham Mr. HH? In particular, the Ashfield/Redrow Homes plan for up to 140 houses on what has been designated ‘grey belt’ land around Hanham, or more high rises for Hanham, so more people can be housed within a particular land space. Good idea, eh?”
Jacksthelad02 suggests: “The development which is not a PBSA, on the Crown Sawmills site, is a build-to-rent development, where the great majority of flats are at full market rentals- £1360 pcm for a studio, £1520 pcm for a one bedroom and £1960 pcm for a two bedroom. Applicants must be earning in excess of £40,000 per annum to apply. Twenty per cent, or 71 flats, will be ‘affordable’ and let through the Home Choice website, but this could well mean they are let at 80 per cent of the full market rate. The development company will be their landlords. So, how helpful will this development be in resolving the caravan shanty towns cropping up around Bristol?”
Do you think that these homes are needed? Comment below or HERE to join in the debate.