News / planning
Fears 28-storey towers will ‘change face of Bristol’
Proposals to demolish a city centre hotel and replace it with a 28-storey tower will “change the face of Bristol”, warns Bristol Civic Society.
The comments are echoed by the conservation advisory panel, which has raised concerns that the plans for the Premier Inn site overlooking the Bearpit would “intrude on the skyline and change the perception of the city”.
The proposed redevelopment of the site on The Haymarket would see the demolition of the current building, which is home to the Premier Inn, a Beefeater restaurant, Cannon Street car park, as well as a number of small businesses in Haymarket Walk.
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In their place, Olympian Homes plan to build two new towers, standing at 28-storeys and 18-storeys respectively, one of which would host student accommodation with 422 bedrooms, while the other would contain 142 co-living spaces. 26 studio flats of the co-living block would be ‘affordable’.
Bristol City Council officers are recommending the plans be approved, with conditions, stating that the benefits – including sustainable use of a brownfield site, improvements in design and public realm, expected economic boost and improvements to the area around the bus stops – would outweigh the harm.
The civic society has lodged strong objections to the proposals and said they should not be considered in isolation to the plans for the former Debenhams building – which could see a tower of a similar height built just across the road from the Premier Inn site.
There are also plans to redevelop the Galleries shopping centre in Broadmead, just a stone’s throw away from the Bearpit, which would further alter the landscape of the city centre.
“In addition to the impact on particular heritage assets, the verified montages also demonstrate that these proposals individually, and cumulatively, change the face of Bristol and in doing so undermine its character for the worse,” said Bristol Civic Society.
The conservation advisory panel has commented: “The proposed development would include a tower of effectively 30 storeys, nearly 50 per cent higher than the existing; it would intrude on the skyline of Bristol and change the perception of the city.
“Many views would be significantly affected, including those of the Kingsdown escarpment and from it. The deplorable result would be of flattening the topography of the city. There would be significant harm to the settings of listed buildings, including St James’s Church and the St James Parade conservation area in general. The height of the tower would lead to overshadowing of adjacent open space.”
The statement adds: “The design is lacklustre and anonymous, and does not respond to the character and distinctiveness of Bristol, which is driven by existing heritage assets.”
The proposed redevelopment of the site on The Haymarket would see the demolition of the current building, which is home to the Premier Inn, a Beefeater restaurant, Cannon Street car park, as well as a number of small businesses in Haymarket Walk – photo: Martin Booth
Olympian Homes – listed as Branna Ltd on the council’s planning documents, a company that has the same London address – has outlined plans for the Premier Inn site on its website.
It states: “Both buildings include communal roof terraces, lounges, gyms, cinema rooms and co-working space.
“Improvements will also be made to the surrounding area with the addition of 2,150 sq m of public realm space. This will include a kiosk, a public café, a new park and plaza connecting through to St James’ Park and offers a direct access route to Bristol bus station.”
Loot vintage shop has already departed from Haymarket Walk, which is incorporated into the development site, and it appears the days for remaining businesses there could be numbered.
Proposals to demolish the Premier Inn and replace it with a 28-storey tower will “change the face of Bristol”, warns Bristol Civic Society – CGI image: Olympian Homes
Planning officers conclude: “The proposal would positively contribute to housing delivery in a sustainable location. Whilst it is acknowledged it would lead to the increase in the concentration of student accommodation in this area, it does also achieve a mix of uses, including the delivery of affordable housing.
“A smaller proposal, i.e. one that does not lead to harm to heritage assets or overshadowing, would deliver less benefits in this regard.”
The council’s development control committee will consider the plans at a meeting on Wednesday, March 6.
Main image: Olympian Homes
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