Residents hit out at plans for 157 homes on south Bristol fields

People living in south Bristol have come together to condemn plans for homes on part of a green space known as the Western Slopes.

Developer Lovell wants to build 157 homes – 30% of which will be ‘affordable’ – on part of the slopes, which are between Knowle West, Headley Park and Bedminster Down.

The proposed development site, which is privately-owned, is currently made up of meadows and woodland, with a green corridor running through the middle of the space.

Lovell wants to build a mixture of houses and apartments on the land – but says the green corridor, which is a Site of Nature Conservation Interest, will be ‘protected and enhanced’.

The developer’s plans faced heavy opposition from local residents during a consultation attended by 54 people on Tuesday.

Developer Lovell has announced plans to build 157 homes on a privately-owned part of the Western Slopes in south Bristol. Photo courtesy of Lovell

Tony is a member of the Friends of Western Slopes group, which is fighting to stop houses being built on the slopes.

He told the meeting this week: “If the slopes are going to be built on – and I hope they’re not – then it needs to be opened up to the community so we can walk across the slopes and access the natural areas.”

But Maria Duignan, who is part of the development team, said that they have to balance this with the need for housing: “The site isn’t accessible to the public at the moment, so what we’re offering is some accessibility.”

Part of the Western Slopes is also owned by Bristol City Council, which the council’s housing company Goram Homes has earmarked for an additional 360 homes. This means over 500 homes could be built across the slopes altogether.

The privately-owned part, which Lovell wants to develop, had horses on there until they were removed from the site earlier in the year. The council-owned side also has horses on it, which are still there, for now.

The empty stables on the privately-owned part of the Western Slopes are remnants of the horses that used to graze there until earlier in the year. Photo by Charlie Watts

Also participating in the meeting this week was Nasim, who said that Lovell’s plans would compromise people’s mental health and well-being.

She told the developers: “I just want to understand how you can justify building houses in the area that clearly you can see locals are not happy about.

“This is the only green area that gives good air and some place for people to go and take refuge.”

In response, Lovell said that the land has been allocated for housing by the local authority.

The Western Slopes were earmarked for homes in the Knowle West Regeneration Framework in 2012 and added to Bristol City Council’s Local Plan in 2014.

Shane Jay, from Lovell, explained: “If the site wasn’t allocated for housing, we wouldn’t be progressing the opportunity, because we understand the local feeling and objection raised to the site.”

The site is currently owned by businessman Jon Patch, who has entered into a contract with Lovell to transfer the land to the developer if planning permission is given.

Novers Hill in Knowle West could be made into a one-way road as part of the development of the slopes. Photo courtesy of Lovell

The proposed development site falls between two roads: Novers Hill and Hartcliffe Way.

Lovell is proposing to make the narrow and steep Novers Hill a one-way road, which many local residents did not agree with in the meeting this week.

Nick Haskins, chair of the Melvin Square Residents Group in Knowle West, warned that this would create “massive problems”.

“The road has always been used as a rat run by the youngsters at night, and if you go making Novers Hill into a one-way road, then you’re just going to create more problems,” he said.

In response, Tony Jones, part of the development team, said that they are looking at installing traffic calming measures along Novers Hill.

The highway authority would have the final say on any proposed changes to the road, he added.

Lovell has also said widening Novers Hill is not an option because that would mean getting rid of a hedgerow, which it wants to keep as this acts as a natural screen between the road and the slopes.

Properties on the slopes overlooking roads and industrial units will require alternative ventilation systems. Photo by Charlie Watts

Lovell also claims on its consultation website that the new residents the development would bring to the area could lead to more money being spent in local shops, pubs and other businesses. But there is not a pub in Knowle West.

Jonathan Davies, from Lovell, admitted that the claim was “more of a generalisation”, but that he believes new people moving into the area will benefit the local economy.

At the bottom of the slopes is Hartcliffe Way, with part of the proposed development site facing onto an industrial area, which will include the new Household Reuse and Recycling Centre in south Bristol.

Due to noise concerns, properties overlooking roads and industrial units will have to have alternative ventilation systems, Lovell has said.

“When it’s particularly noisy, they’ve got the opportunity of shutting the windows, but they will still have adequate air circulation in the property,” Jonathan elaborated.

The Friends of the Western Slopes group is fighting to save the slopes, which could see over 500 homes built across the privately-owned and council-owned parts of the site. Photo by Charlie Watts

At the meeting this week, residents repeatedly challenged Lovell about the morality of building on the Western Slopes.

But Shane Jay, from Lovell, said that he thinks there is a ‘moral argument’ for the development, referring to the ‘affordable’ homes it could deliver.

He continued: “It’s about finding that balance between what’s acceptable to us and what’s acceptable to the local community, which we know is going to be nothing other than no development there. We’re under no illusion of the task that we have here.”

There is until August 3 to comment on Lovell’s proposal for the Western Slopes, before the developer applies for planning permission: www.novershillconsultation.co.uk.

Charlie Watts is reporting on Knowle West as part of Bristol24/7’s community reporter scheme, a pilot project which aims to tell stories from areas of Bristol traditionally under-served by the mainstream media 

Main photo by Charlie Watts

Read more: Fighting new housing proposed on one of south Bristol’s ‘green lungs’