News / bedminster
Plans for St Catherine’s Place development in Bedminster revealed
Developers have unveiled plans for a mixed-use development at St Catherine’s Place that they say will be a catalyst for the wider regeneration of East Street.
Proposals for 271 new apartments – to include a 22-storey tower and no affordable homes – on the corner of Dalby Avenue in Bedminster have been submitted to Bristol City Council’s planning department.
Firmstone, the Bristol-based company behind the plans, intend to upgrade the existing retail space, build more shops and leisure facilities, which could include a cinema, gym, cafes and workspace, as well as creating “a sequence of public spaces”, footpaths and cycleways.
is needed now More than ever
A CGI image of how the view from East Street might change if the plans get the go-ahead
The height of the proposed tower on a site that is set for extensive redevelopment has already met with controversy from residents, but the developer says it has designed the tower to be more “slender and elegant” in response to public feedback.
………………………………..
Read more: Is Bedminster ready for a high rise boom?
………………………………..
Francis Firmstone, director of Firmstone said: “Our proposals will mark a real ‘step change’ for this area, which is badly in need of regeneration, and has the potential to make a major contribution to the homes that the city needs.
“This is an important ‘gateway’ site to the Bedminster Green area, which also has the potential to act as a catalyst for the revitalisation of East Street and indeed, the whole Bedminster area.
“To achieve this potential, we need to focus a significant amount of our investment on creating a central gathering place for both the immediate neighbourhood and wider local community. This needs to be an attractive place where people want to congregate, socialise and enjoy themselves at different times of the day and in the evening.
“Due to its prominent position, we believe St Catherine’s Place is the most suitable site for a taller, iconic building, creating a sense of arrival to Bedminster, but we have responded to the public and other stakeholders and changed the scale and appearance of the towers, so they blend more into the skyline.
“Our ambition, once we’ve been given the go-ahead for this development, is to be on site and delivering our proposals as soon as possible.”
The developer says it intends to invest in public spaces, footpaths and cycleways
Plans for the mixed-use scheme include provision of 271 homes – 244 of which will be one and two-bedroom apartments situated in three residential buildings, from four to 22-storeys high.
A further 27 apartments will be based in two buildings above the existing shopping centre.
Catherine’s House, which forms part of the mixed-use St Catherine’s Place redevelopment, is currently being converted into 54 apartments by Firmstone Consortia One.
The company says “the homes were built to a very high standard and priced for the local community”.
A statement on affordable provision within the planning documents says that a confidential viability appraisal found the development “could not support the delivery of any affordable housing on the site”.
Addressing the lack of affordable provision, Firmstone, added: “Due to the level of investment in the whole development, we are unable to provide homes that meet the government’s ‘affordable housing’ definition.
“The new homes will be offered on the open market and priced for the local community, helping to meet the significant need for new homes in the city.”
An aerial view of the proposed development
Read more: Sky high ambitions for Bristol
Our top newsletters emailed directly to you
