Plans for student accommodation given green light on appeal

Plans to build flats for 595 students opposite Motion that were refused by Bristol City Council have been given the go-ahead on appeal.

Summix is proposing to redevelop the brownfield site on the corner of Feeder Road and Albert Road in St Philip’s with three accommodation buildings of up to 14-storeys high and an additional one for commercial use.

The developers first submitted plans in April 2019, prompting fears for the future of Motion. A legal agreement was then reached between club bosses and the development company in 2020 granting Motion the legal right to continue generating noise at existing levels. Incoming residents will be made aware of the potential for disturbance.

The initial application was refused by the council because the plans “failed to demonstrate how the risks of flooding have been adequately addressed”, adding they are “therefore likely to pose a severe risk to future occupiers and increase the risks of flooding elsewhere”.

This decision has since been overturned by a government planning inspector and Summix bosses have submitted revised plans for the site.

Summix have been given the green light for their plans to build student accommodation on the site opposite Motion  – photo: Betty Woolerton

The proposals for the corner site are just one of many for the area that is at the heart of the Temple Quarter regeneration scheme. This will see a brand new Bristol University campus built on the former sorting office site and plans for housing and office blocks on nearby Temple Island, among others.

Summix intends to demolish the existing buildings on the corner plot to make way for the scheme that will include commercial units facing out onto the roadside, roof terraces on the buildings, car parking designated for the workspace and cycle parking.

The developer has also pledged to deliver improvements to the cycle lane on Feeder Road and carry out planting and public realm improvements.

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Stuart Black, development director at Summix, said: “We are absolutely delighted that our proposals to deliver much needed purpose-built student accommodation, alongside new commercial space, have been granted permission.

“Our plans will not only help to meet an identified demand for student housing in a highly sustainable location but will also support investment and job creation in the city by providing affordable commercial space close to the city centre, helping to support Bristol’s post Covid-19 economic recovery.

“The plans will bring this important site back into positive use and act as a gateway to the exciting Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus.”

Summix say their plans meet a demand for student housing in a highly sustainable location – image: Summix

Main image: Summix

Read more: High hopes for £95m investment in Temple Quarter regeneration 

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