The opening up of one of South Bristol’s most important rivers can finally go ahead, after planning officers at City Hall granted planning permission to the controversial scheme.
The Malago River has been culverted underneath industrial sites off Malago Road and Whitehouse Lane for more than a century, but will be dug out and rerouted in a new channel which stretches from the railway line at the bottom of Windmill Hill, almost to Bedminster Parade.
The idea, which is being done as part of the Bedminster Green regeneration project, has attracted controversy. Much of that has come from environmentalists who criticised the number of trees that will have to be cut down to make it happen, and what the new river will actually be like.
Critics say the city council and developers will actually just be creating a ‘concrete ditch for flood relief’, as part of the project which has already seen a large complex of student accommodation built, and could see more than 300 flats built on the banks of the newly-opened up river.
Councillors gave the go-ahead in principle to the plan back in June this year, and now officers have formally signed off the planning application.
The committee voted to approve planning permission back at June’s meeting. Councillors welcomed the new protections from floods, but raised concerns about the loss of trees in the area.
Green Councillor Rob Bryher, chair of the committee, said: “Clearly with mature trees, we want to protect them as much as possible. It’s really difficult in terms of the emotional connection that we all have with nature. At the same time, overall this does present a good opportunity to free the Malago. It provides the opportunity for people to see the Malago in a way that they haven’t perhaps in the past.”
Voting in favour of granting planning permission were Cllr Bryher, Labour Cllrs Katja Hornchen, Zoë Peat and Don Alexander, Lib Dem Cllr Sarah Classick, and Tory Cllr Richard Eddy. Voting against were Green Cllrs Guy Poultney, Ellie Freeman and Serena Ralston.
A planning application for 330 build-to-rent flats on the land around Bedminster Green itself, and either side of the Malago and Whitehouse Lane is yet to be decided by council planners.