Plans for 471 student flats near Temple Meads approved despite flood risk

Plans for hundreds of student flats have been approved for a site behind Bristol Temple Meads despite a risk of flooding.

Developers now have planning permission from Bristol City Council to build 471 student apartments on Avon Street on a site currently occupied by Chinese food wholesaler Chanson Foods. The development will link up to the new University of Bristol campus.

The council’s development control committee granted permission on Wednesday after hearing concerns about the risk of flooding to the new apartments. The 12-storey building will be located next to the waterfront, with a new public footpath along the water.

Speaking to the committee, Paul Smith, University of Bristol director of campus operations, said: “The university supports this application. Building purpose-built student accommodation in the right location provides high quality and affordable accommodation for our students, but also helps to keep further pressure off existing homes in the city which we appreciate is a major issue and a priority for the council. The site is next to our Temple Quarter campus.”

John Nesbitt, from Host Student Housing said nearby Motion club would be protected from any noise complaints by a ‘deed of easement’ – photo Betty Woolerton

The university is planning to build a major new campus behind the train station, on the site of the old Royal Mail sorting house, which was recently demolished. The new campus has faced delays, as it was originally planned to open this year, but construction work has not yet begun. A new footpath will eventually link the student accommodation to the campus.

The accommodation will be run by Host Student Housing, which manages 10,000 beds across the UK.

John Nesbitt, managing director of Host, told the committee that the nearby Motion club would be protected from any noise complaints due to the design of the building, as well as a ‘deed of easement’, a legal document protecting Motion’s use as a nightclub.

Nesbitt said: “Our scheme would play a key role in the regeneration of this area. We’re investing in major public realm improvements, including opening up the waterfront to public access for the first time in centuries, with a five-metre wide walkway along the front of our scheme. This would connect to the pedestrian bridge proposed by the university.

The main risk of flooding comes from high tides rising through the River Avon, according to council officers – Photo: Chapman Taylor, ARUP, Hoare Lea

“Our design means there would be no impact on Motion, but we’ve also agreed to a deed of easement because we want to be good neighbours. By building next to Temple Quarter campus and working with the University of Bristol we can also help ease pressure on the existing housing stock by ensuring students live close to where they study.”

The main risk of flooding comes from high tides rising through the River Avon, according to council officers, and the risk is growing due to climate change. The design of the building means that the ground floor could flood, but all accommodation would be above the ground floor.

Students could be left in their rooms for hours in the event of a flood, one council officer said, but an escape route would be created above the entrance to the accommodation. The new footbridge to the university campus would also create an extra exit in the event of a flood.

The application needs a final sign-off from the Environment Agency, which previously raised concerns about flooding in the area. If the agency does object, the application would then be sent to the government to make a final decision.

Fabian Breckels, a Labour councillor for St George Troopers Hill, said: “Many of us got quite annoyed when there was a plethora of student accommodation turning up in parts of the city where we need housing for permanent residents. But this is right by the new university campus. It’s the obvious place to put student accommodation. I like the design and I think it will fit in well within the area.”

Alex Seabrook is a local democracy reporter for Bristol

Main photo: Chapman Taylor, ARUP, Hoare Lea

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