Plans for a 22-storey student tower block near Temple Meads have been approved unanimously by councillors. The huge building in Albert Road will be home to 531 students next to the University of Bristol’s new campus.
Bristol City Council development control committee members expressed concerns about the design and a lack of nearby GP surgeries but praised developers Cubex.
The high-rise forms part of the gigantic Temple Quarter regeneration area and is the tallest building to receive planning permission there so far.
Cubex will pay for flood defences, create a new boulevard and build a route for pedestrians and cyclists to get to the riverside walkway and St Philips footbridge leading to Temple Island, the meeting was told on Wednesday, January 22. The proposals received just one objection.
Committee chairman Cllr Rob Bryher (Green, St George West) said he was disappointed the council had not yet produced a design masterplan for the area to provide guidance on how tall buildings should be.
He said: “One of my primary concerns about this whole area is the height of the buildings. There isn’t something we can point to and say this is how high a building should be.”
But he said it was an exemplary development that should be supported. Cllr Guy Poultney (Green, Cotham) said: “This is a quarter of a hectare to provide the equivalent of 212 houses without the loss of any green space.
“The local councillors are in favour. If this isn’t good, I don’t know what good looks like.”
Cllr Richard Eddy (Conservative, Bishopsworth) said it would be ludicrous to reject the scheme.
He said: “It meets local student housing need, provides low-cost employment use, increases the public realm in an imaginative way, increases tree planting, improves transport and includes flood prevention.”
Cllr Katja Hornchen (Labour, Brislington East) said: “I have strong reservations around the medical facilities. The idea that we didn’t have any complaints about this – nobody lives around there so we’re not going to get any complaints.”
Planning officers had concerns over the design, which will need to be agreed before work starts.
Cllr Serena Ralston (Green, Clifton Down) said: “This is the first of one of these buildings in this area but there is nothing wrong with us demanding the very best.
“There are lots of merits to the scheme but we always have to ask this question – what would future Bristolians standing on that site in 100 years have to say?
“Would they be proud of the decisions we make today or would they scratch their heads and say ‘what were they thinking?’. So I’m very reassured that there is a condition demanding more on the design. I am worried about the height.
“For the surrounding area I would like to see more employment, but the flood risk mitigation is really good.”