Need to knowThis week’s list of notable planning applications made to the city council
The Giant Goram pub in Lawrence Weston(Image: Google )
A dilapidated pub could be refurbished alongside seven newly built homes 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 floating boathouse on the harbour and replacement cladding on a block of flats. 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.
Refurbish dilapidated pub and build seven new homes
A dilapidated pub could be refurbished with seven new homes built adjacent too. The Giant Goram is the last remaining pub in Lawrence Weston but closed down in 2019. Then in 2024 developers were refused planning permission to knock down the pub on Barrowmead Drive and build eight houses, as well as a new “micropub”.
Councillors and campaigners were concerned that the tiny pub would be too small to be viable, and was not a suitable replacement for the Giant Goram, which opened in the 1950s. The latest planning application is for three houses and four flats, as well as the pub refurbishment.
The pub would be kept, but the adjoining skittle alley building would be demolished. But the pub building has been damaged by weather and vandals, so would be refurbished. Three new houses and four new flats would be built, while the upper floor of the pub would be converted into two apartments.
The latest plans for the Giant Goram(Image: Avec Design)
New floating boathouse at Harbourside watersports centre
Several changes are planned to a Harbourside watersports centre including a new floating boathouse. The Pooles Wharf Centre on Hotwells Road could soon be refurbished. A garage would be demolished and a workshop would be extended and converted into a coffee stall. The garish floating boathouse would look like seven multi-coloured domes next to wooden decking.
The watersports centre is opposite the Mardyke pub and next to the Grain Barge, and was established in 2000. Activities include kayaking, canoeing, paddleboarding and building rafts. Sessions are offered to youth clubs, schools and community groups. The interlinking domes would “create a contemporary addition to the Floating Harbour”, planning documents said.
Replace cladding on council high rise
Cladding on a council high rise could soon be replaced for fire safety. Polden House is a 15-storey tower block of 57 flats on Windmill Hill. Replacement cladding, which is the material on the outside of a building, would make the flats better insulated as well as meeting current rules on fire safety. The tower was built in 1965 in a post-war housing programme.
The current cladding is made of expanded polystyrene. But this material sparked concerns over safety when another council high rise, Eccleston House in Barton Hill, caught fire in 2022. Experts said the polystyrene, which is made from plastic, helped the fire spread.
Bungalows replaced with apartments
Bungalows in Southmead could soon be knocked down and replaced with a block of flats for elderly people. Brunelcare Housing is planning to demolish the five bungalows on the corner of Greystoke Avenue and Trowbridge Road and build 20 apartments with a communal facility too. Brunelcare is a Bristol-based charity providing housing and care for older people.
The site is within easy walking distance of a health centre, pharmacies, community centre, library, pub and shops. There are also bus stops on Greystoke Avenue with services going to the city centre and Cribbs Causeway. The 20 “later living” flats would be built in a three-storey block, with a communal garden.
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