The proposal involves a controversial new form of accommodation
An aerial view of the site. The playground at Newtown Park can be seen in the bottom left corner(Image: Yara Capital)
A new development could lead to 275 new homes being built in Old Market.
Property developer Yara Capital wants to turn a partly empty parcel of land near Newtown Park into a mixture of living and working spaces.
The “underutilised” brownfield site is located south west of the Trinity Street and Waterloo Road junction, near the Kingsland industrial estate and close to the entrance to the Bristol and Bath Railway Path.
An existing data centre operated by Verizon UK sits on the eastern side of the site, whilst the remaining western area remains undeveloped and unused, according to the developer.
Yara Capital wants to construct two buildings on the site, which would be between three and six storeys tall – with plans very much still in their infancy. The developer says the buildings are likely to vary in height and that they are being designed to fit in with the surroundings.
A sketch of the proposed new development(Image: Yara Capital)
The eastern building would be earmarked for ‘flexible workspaces suitable for start-ups, creative studios, light industrial uses and life science laboratories,’ along with a co-working space.
Meanwhile, the western building would contain 275 new homes. However, the proposed homes wouldn’t be houses or even traditional flats.
They will be ‘co-living’ spaces which function somewhat similarly to student accommodation but for young professionals, with small apartments and communal living spaces.
Some co-living rooms do not even have their own kitchens but a Yara Capital spokesperson said the ‘vision’ was for the proposed studio flats to offer residents private kitchen facilities and bathrooms.
A data centre currently occupies part of the site(Image: Yara Capital)
The Zinc Works on nearby Unity Street already offers co-living accommodation, a form of housing which is set to expand massively in Bristol in the near future. In February construction began on what will become Bristol’s tallest building, on the site of the former Haymarket Premier Inn near the Bearpit.
That development will include a 150-bed, 18-storey co-living tower and a 442-bed, 28-storey purpose-built student accommodation block.
Just down the road, developers Pegasus Group have been granted permission to demolish the Rupert Street car park to create a new one as well as 328 student beds and 249 co-living studios. The new building will be up to 20 storeys tall.
Proponents of co-living have heralded it as a solution to the housing crisis for young professionals in urban areas, but critics fear it is a new way for developers to make profits by cramming people into smaller living spaces, according to a 2023 Bristol Live long-read on the issue.
The large plot of land is near Newtown Park and Old Market Street(Image: Yara Capital)
Alfie Yule, development manager at Yara Capital, said: “25 Trinity Street is currently underutilised and offers little to the local community.
“We now have a real opportunity to bring the site back to life and deliver meaningful benefits for Old Market and the wider city by providing high‑quality employment space for creative, life‑science and light‑industrial businesses, alongside new homes in a sustainable location. Central to the proposals is a landscape‑led design approach that reflects and celebrates the area’s culture and heritage.”
Yara Capital’s headquarters is in London and it has offices in Jordan and Dubai.
Residents and businesses have been invited to share their views on the proposals by Thursday, April 23, ahead of a planning application expected to be submitted to Bristol City Council later in spring. For more information and to provide feedback, Yara has encouraged people to email info@25trinitystreet.co.uk or call 0808 143 4781.