May 2nd 2024
Plans to build new student flats in Bristol have been delayed
A string of new student accommodation projects have been given the go-ahead in Bristol. However, developers have asked councillors to delay their decision on the latest one.
At the beginning of last month, a 500-bed student accommodation block had been given the greenlight to start construction near Bristol city centre. Developers claimed the new flats were urgently needed as the city is one of the ‘most undersupplied markets in the UK for purpose-built student accommodation’.
However, a new project to build a 484-bed apartment block on an empty plot of land in Malago Road, Bedminster, has been put on the backburner. Councillors in Bristol were due to decide on whether to grant planning permission for the development, but Watkin Jones – the development organisation leading the plans – have asked to delay the decision and it is now expected to be made in June.
Should planning permission be granted, the plans include three buildings, the tallest with 10 storeys, and aim to improve the access to the nearby River Malago.
Ahead of the meeting, planning officers have recommended that the council’s planning committee approve permission for the new flats.
One of the concerns that has been raised about the development – identified in discussions at Bristol City Council – is the amount of noise created from a nearby railway line, which could affect residents opening windows during the spring/summer months.
To combat this, the developer says it is planning to install mechanical ventilation, which works similarly to air conditioning.
Currently, the site remains empty, although it was previously occupied by a car wash and a charity providing temporary housing for homeless people. Up until 2023 an engineering works and foundry operated there, but this was demolished in 2009.
Image: Nathan Riley