Bristol planning chair urges government to not delay shopping centre redevelopment

The chair of a Bristol City Council planning committee has written to the government to urge them to not delay the redevelopment of a shopping centre in south Bristol.

In the letter to the levelling up, housing and communities secretary Michael Gove, Richard Eddy urges his team of ministers to not “call in” controversial plans to replace Broadwalk Shopping Centre in Knowle.

Councillors approved plans to build 850 flats and a shopping street in place of the centre in July – despite unanimously refusing the plans just a month earlier.

The u-turn by Labour councillors and Eddy caused outrage in the Knowle community, with a local campaign group launching a legal case against the decision, and a Green councillor writing to the government to call in the decision.

Richard Eddy has wrote to Michael Gove to urge him not to “call in” plans to redevelop Broadwalk Shopping Centre – photo: Charlie Watts

In his letter to Gove, Eddy – a Conservative councillor and chairman of the development control A committee – says to call in the decision would “postpone (and possibly jeopardise) the regeneration and salvation of this once-flagship shopping centre.”

“The tabloid media have already dubbed one empty Bristol shopping centre (St Catherine’s Parade in Bedminster) the ‘saddest shopping centre in Britain’,” he wrote.

“If we duck taking action here today, it is my great fear that Broadwalk may go the same way!”

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Read more: ‘The sooner this shopping centre is demolished, the better for all of Bristol’

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In the letter, Eddy also notes some “important benefits” of the scheme, writing:

• It provides a vital (perhaps the last) chance to save and retain a vital urban retail centre – while boosting the associated prosperity and trade of the retail units in Wells Road, Knowle;
• An estimated £200 million of new investment is being pumped into the regeneration of Broadwalk Shopping Centre;
• Almost 600 new jobs are projected to be created;
• Up to 850 new homes will be created to help address Bristol’s housing crisis (a significant amount of this affordable housing);
• This scheme includes important community benefits, e.g. library services, a new community cinema and enhanced GP service.

He concludes by writing: “Sadly, it is my conclusion that any misadvised ministerial ‘call in’ of this important determination could destroy forever the opportunity to provide a renaissance for the Broadwalk Shopping Centre and play into the hands of misguided objectors to the scheme”.

The Redcatch Development Partnership wants to build 850 flats and a shopping street in place of the centre – photo: Redcatch Quarter

Those objecting to the Redcatch Quarter scheme include more than 1,300 people who have signed a petition against Redcatch Development Partnership’s plans.

Critics have concerns about the height, density and percentage of affordable housing of the scheme, with it set to see flats as high as 12-storeys – ten per cent of them affordable.

Despite the plans attracting the support of the local Knowle Community Party, Green councillor Ed Plowden has called the approval of plans a “scandal”, and Broadwalk Redevelopment Community Group has called it a “betrayal”.

But Bristol Labour has defended their councillors’ u-turn, with a spokesperson for the group saying previously that “having deferred the decision and seeing new information, we believed that on balance this regeneration project should be supported”.

Eddy has also defended the decision, previously saying that “council planning protocol observes a clear and transparent process. This open procedure was followed to the letter.”

Main photo: Charlie Watts 

Read next:

• ‘The sooner this shopping centre is demolished, the better for all of Bristol’
• Green councillor resigns from planning committee over ‘Broadwalk Scandal’
• Legal case launched against Broadwalk Shopping Centre decision

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