News / St Philips
Plans approved for much-needed secondary school and hundreds of homes
Government approval has finally been granted for a major new development including a new secondary school in east Bristol.
The Silverthorne Lane development on a derelict industrial site in St Philip’s Marsh – between Motion nightclub and St Philip’s Causeway – includes hundreds of new homes, offices, shops, student accommodation and Oasis Academy Temple Quarter.
But plans for the 1,600-pupil school have been up in the air since being ‘called-in’ because of flooding objections from the Environment Agency.
is needed now More than ever
Now the minister of state for housing Stuart Andrew has given the school for children aged 11 to 18 the green-light.
A public inquiry was held in May 2021 to decide the fate of Silverthorne Lane in St Philip’s- photo: Ellie Pipe
The news, which emerged on Wednesday, is cause for celebration for local parents, politicians and campaigners who have long-called for a school in east central Bristol where there is a desperate need for places.
Reacting to the news on Twitter, BS5 Secondary Forum wrote: “It’s been a long, hard journey fighting for this, but finally today the news this group and our community has waited many years for.”
Bristol24/7 reported concerns about the shortage of secondary school places as two planned academies, one on Silverthorne Lane and one in Knowle West, were blighted by planning setbacks.
Delays for the schools, which were originally promised to open in 2018, were coupled with a significant shortfall in school places in the city.
Figures released by the council showed there were 291 more pupils in the city due to start secondary school in September 2021 than places available, and that this was expected to soar to 515 within three years.
When plans were called-in, there were fears that the inspector may overturn the council planning consent and reject the plans – which would have been a bitter blow to communities in east Bristol.
With planning permission now granted, Oasis Academy Temple Quarter will occupy the largest of six parts of the development proposed by Feeder Estates, a partnership managed by Square Bay.
The regeneration project on Silverthorne Lane also includes offices, student accommodation and hundreds of homes, as well as a new Bristol University Campus.
Sandwiching the planned school will be a 17-storey tower block with 693 beds for students and homes and officers near the Avon Street junction.
All are part of the Temple Quarter Enterprise Zone – an industrial area next to the Feeder Canal set to become a new “canal-side community”. The entire development is expected to create around 4,500 new jobs.
There is a desperate need for new secondary school places in east Bristol – image: Oasis Academy Temple Quarter
Main photo: Oasis Academy Temple Quarter
Read more: The challenges of providing secondary school places in Bristol amid looming shortfall
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