The future of a car park in Bristol’s city centre which had been earmarked for demolition has finally been agreed after Bristol City Council approved plans to build accommodation. The Rupert Street car park will be demolished to make way for 328 student bed spaces as well as 249 ‘co-living’ rooms.
In April 2023, a planning application was submitted to remove the multi-storey car park and instead build a mixture of student and co-living accommodation, retail or commercial space and a new public car park. More than a year and a half later, progress has been made and planning permission has been granted.
These plans had proved controversial as the historic car park, built in 1960, is one of the earliest surviving examples of a multi-storey car park using a spiral sloped ramp. In spite of this, a series of low reviews online led a YouTuber to visit the car park in February.
As part of the works, there will be new cycle parking and landscaping which will be undertaken. A new service road between Rupert Street and Lewins Mead will also be built.
The planning permission lists 54 conditions which have been attached to the permission, subsequently affecting development moving forward. A total of 20 conditions affect the pre-commencement of parts of development, 27 affect pre-occupation and five affect post-occupation.
The development must begin within three years of the planning permission being granted, meaning the development should commence prior to November 28, 2027. However, building work is unlikely to begin in the short-term as conditions will need to be satisfied before work will be allowed to begin.
The developers, Greystar, will build a series of tower blocks up to 21-storeys high. There will also be a community space on the ground floor which community groups and charities will be able to use.
In 2023, the senior director at Greystar, Neil Howells, said: “These proposals will regenerate this run-down building, maintaining but improving public parking to serve the hospitals, Broadmead and the city centre in a highly accessible location on the Inner Ring Road. Our carefully designed plans ensure the building fits with the city’s architecture, whilst taking advantage of this sustainable location, ideal for young professionals, key workers and students to live in.
“In response to feedback from local residents, we have changed our plans so that the ground floor space not only brings life to this neglected part of town but provides a new, discounted home where community organisations and charities can prosper.
“This is an opportunity to make better use of the existing NCP Car Park, creating sustainable homes for people in the centre of the city and providing high quality green space for the residents. We want to turn the existing car park into a place the local community can be proud of.”
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