News / Broadwalk Shopping Centre
Judicial review into Broadwalk redevelopment withdrawn
A senior Green Party councillor has slammed “the misuse of power and procedure at City Hall by the previous administration” after a judicial review into the decision to build hundreds of high-rise flats in Knowle has been withdrawn just days before a judicial review was scheduled to begin.
The High Court was due to host the hearing in order to look into how a decision was made to approve a controversial development on the site of Broadwalk shopping centre.
But developers Broadside Holdings and local campaigner Laura Chapman have reached an 11th hour agreement, which means the withdrawal of the judicial review and the cancellation of the scheduled two-day High Court hearing on Monday and Tuesday.
is needed now More than ever
Chapman confirmed that the parties have negotiated “a new significantly reduced scheme” for the site.
She said: “As we have stated from the start, our actions have always been driven by pragmatism and focussed on securing the best outcome for Knowle.
“We have negotiated extensively and – after much soul-searching – we feel that the new scheme is the closest we are going to get to a mutually acceptable solution.”
The development site encompasses a large area between Wells Road, Broad Walk and Redcatch Road – photo: Redcatch Development Partnership
Chapman said that her decision to withdraw her judicial review claim “does not represent a change in her opinion about the process by which the original planning permission was determined by Bristol City Council”.
The terms of the agreement are confidential but Chapman said she “wishes to reassure the Knowle community that the settlement agreement… provides routes of legal protection to ensure it is followed faithfully by all parties”.
Broadside Holdings will be submitting a new application to Bristol City Council for the revised scheme.
Broadside Holdings development manager Francis Hilton said: “In February of this year we publicly pledged to work diligently alongside Laura’s Broadwalk Redevelopment Community Group (BRCG)and other stakeholders to agree a pathway from outline consent to detailed design, committing our best efforts to reduce the scale of the scheme.
“We have worked closely with Laura and Bristol City Council to engineer a deliverable solution that addresses all major stakeholder concerns.
“The backdrop of Bristol’s acute housing shortage has only worsened during the course of 2024 and we now look forward to progressing the revised designs to bring forward the much needed homes, commercial and community space that Knowle deserves.”
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Read more: ‘The majority of Knowle residents are desperate to get a rebirth of their shopping centre’
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The saga began in July 2023 when nine councillors who had unanimously rejected a plan to build 850 luxury flats were poised to do the same again.
But then, to the astonishment of Knowle residents – who had been assured they did not even need to attend the meeting – half of the councillors performed a U-turn and the development was carried thanks to the casting vote of Tory planning committee chair Richard Eddy.
The development was left in limbo after a High Court judge ruled that a judicial review was needed to look into how this decision was made, and whether correct protocol had been followed in other areas as well.
In July 2023, controversial plans to Broadwalk shopping centre and replace it with 850 flats were approved – image: Redcatch Development Partnership
Following the settlement, the Broadwalk shopping centre will still be demolished as planned but the number of flats will be reduced as well as the density – the two major areas of concern for those objecting to the development.
The site was purchased for £10 by Melburg who originally put forward plans for the so-called Redcatch Quarter with Galliard Homes.
Chapman and her team of volunteers at the Broadwalk Redevelopment Community Group sent Bristol City Council a Freedom of Information request for details of meetings between the developers and officers and local politicians.
When that was refused, they appealed to the Information Commissioner, who ordered the council to reveal all the written communications.
Among the many revelations which came forth was the involvement of a lobbying firm called Cratus on behalf of Melburg, which held private undisclosed meetings with Eddy and others prior to the vote being reversed.
Cratus’ past clients include Rydon, the firm that re-clad Grenfell Tower before the fatal fire, and several major house builders including Galliard Homes, Persimmon and Barratt.
Savills, also working on behalf of the developers, were revealed to have sent one email proposing a private meeting with all nine councillors who had refused the plan, with a “view to clarifying a number of the points which appear to have been misunderstood by the committee last week”.
Eddy replied that he would have to seek legal advice to assess whether that was appropriate, and after deciding it was not he continued to meet the developers on an individual basis.
Cratus meanwhile bombarded councillors with videos of what the development would look like, and its promise of creating 500 jobs, and listed four representatives to speak at the vote which local residents claimed they had told was too insignificant to attend.
Ed Plowden, a Green Party councillor for Windmill Hill and chair of Bristol City Council’s transport and connectivity committee, said that the decision is “a major victory for the local community in south Bristol”.
During the previous mayoral administration, Plowden resigned from the planning committee which granted approval to the Broadwalk development.
He said: “I am hugely impressed by the work of local residents Laura and Helen who have been so courageous and determined, crowdfunded and supported by their neighbours, to challenge the power of the developers and the misuse of power and procedure at City Hall by the previous administration.
“The former local Knowle councillors failed their residents by too readily accepting the developers’ claims that there was no viable alternative to the over-dense development originally proposed.
“I was then forced to resign from the committee after the former chair forced this through in a very underhand way, which led to the legal action against the council.
“This shows what can be achieved when people stand up for their neighbourhood, and credit is also due to the developers for recognising how unwelcome their plans were with local people.
“I look forward to working with the local community, the new local Green councillors Cam Hayward and Toby Wells, and the planners, to make sure that we continue to strive to get the best possible deal for Broadwalk, but also to see the Green Party’s vision for gentle density to start to be embraced across the city.”
Many of the shops are already closed in Broadwalk shopping centre – photo: Stella Rogers
Toby Wells, Green Party councillor for Knowle, added: “When cllr Hayward and I spoke to thousands of people on the doorstep prior to our election, it was abundantly clear that getting the right development at Broadwalk was the number one issue for local people.
“We’ve been pleased to give local campaigners Laura and Helen our backing throughout this process, but the hard work has all been done by them.
“Their tenacity and dedication has led to this brilliant outcome for the community in Knowle.
“We’re now looking forward to working together with local people and the developers to get the detailed plans right and minimise disruption in the area.
“Residents will be able to have their say on the new plans, which will go through the normal planning process.”
The proposed development will now be scaled down following a compromise being agreed – image: Redcatch Development Partnership
A spokesperson for Bristol City Council said: “Following discussions between the parties to the judicial review and the conclusion of the agreement, the claimant Ms Chapman, has agreed to withdraw the judicial review claim against the council.
“As a result, the proceedings have been concluded by consent and the December 2023 planning permission remains in place.
“Throughout these discussions, council officers have provided guidance to support the aim of identifying alternative development proposals.
“The discussions have looked at alternative forms of development for the Broadwalk Shopping Centre which take account of the objections previously made in relation to the 2023 scheme.
“As a result of the agreement now reached, the council understands that the applicant, Broadside Holdings, will prepare and submit a further application for a revised scheme, which the council will then consider as the local planning authority.
“It should be stressed that any new proposals for the site will require a review process before any decision can be taken on final designs.
“The determination process for any new application will also include a period of public notification enabling anyone with an interest in the application to submit their views to the Local Planning Authority, which will take these into account alongside all relevant legislative and policy considerations.”
Richard Eddy declined to comment.
Main image: Redcatch Development Partnership
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