News21.08.254.00 PM by Zainab Hussain
Developers have unveiled plans for a student accommodation tower and co-living block in Bristol that could deliver 650 homes.
Cabot Gate (picture: Hammerson)
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Developers have unveiled plans for a student accommodation tower and co-living block in Bristol that could deliver 650 homes #UKhousing
FTSE 250-listed landlord Hammerson and insurance giant AXA IM have proposed a student accommodation tower and a co-living block as part of their Cabot Gate development.
The centrepiece of the plans is a 28-storey purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) tower that could hold up to 500 students. Alongside this is an eight-storey block that could provide 150 co-living beds. Alternatively, it could be used as additional student housing or a hotel.
Co-living schemes are privately rented homes, specifically designed for single residents with shared facilities and communal spaces.
A recent report found that there had been growing concern co-living was being placed in competition with other types of housing such as PBSA. There had also been some misconception that co-living caters solely to students, as well as recent graduates or short-term renters.
Co-living developers have raised concerns about blending co-living with PBSA, calling for a clear separation between the two.
Cabot Gate will be located in front of the Cabot Circus car park – part of the shopping centre owned by Hammerson and AXA IM in a 50:50 joint venture.
The designs for the development, produced by architect Allford Hall Monaghan Morris, showed plans for a large octagonal PBSA tower on one side of the entrance to the shopping centre’s main car park.
The PBSA tower would comprise studio and cluster rooms, active frontages and roof terraces.
A new pedestrian route and a shared walking and cycling lane have also been proposed, with planting and landscaping to buffer against road traffic, as well as a cafe and community space.
Currently the site is mostly occupied by an Enterprise car rental. Planning permission had previously been granted to build offices on the site, but this subsequently lapsed.
Stephen Guy, inspector of historic buildings and areas at Historic England, said: “Given the proposed maximum of a 28-storey building on the site, this is likely to have various impacts on the historic environment, notably the setting of many highly graded heritage assets.”
A spokesperson for Hammerson said: “Working in close collaboration with Bristol City Council on its ambitions for the city centre, we have set out a long-term vision to evolve our wider estate including leisure experiences, housing and workspaces, as well as more cultural community uses.”
Historic England expressed concern over the impact of the plans on nearby buildings, including the Grade 1 listed St Paul’s Church.
In Cardiff, a campaign group recently expressed concern that co-living was “forcing down quality” of housing. The group also raised issues about the precedent set by the size of the scheme’s communal areas.
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Picture: Alamy