Temporary school in South Bristol to expand to 540 pupils under latest plans

A temporary school in South Bristol will expand to 540 pupils until July 2026 because of delays building a permanent one, under new plans recently submitted. Each week Bristol City Council receives dozens of planning applications seeking permission for a whole range of developments.

Over the past seven days, those applications also included replacing dangerous cladding at a Southmead Hospital multi-storey car park and converting a fabric shop into a community venue. Here’s this week’s round-up of notable planning applications submitted to the council.

Every week dozens are validated by the local authority and we have selected some of the more interesting proposals. All planning applications submitted to the council have to be validated and are available for inspection by the public. Anyone is also allowed to submit comments about the applications — whether in support or objection.

The majority of applications are decided by planning officers at the council under delegated powers. However, some will go before elected councillors who sit on planning committees. No dates have been set for when the planning applications below will be determined. They can be viewed by going to the planning portal on Bristol City Council’s website.

Temporary school

Three new temporary classrooms would be installed on tennis courts and an existing one on a playing field retained at Oasis Academy John Williams in Hengrove. The Department of Education has asked Portakabin to apply for temporary planning permission until July 2026 when the much-delayed building of the new Oasis Academy Daventry Road, Knowle West, is finally expected to be completed.

The construction issues were caused by the amount of asbestos found in the old school being demolished to make way for it. The tennis courts and rugby pitch will be relocated elsewhere on the Hengrove site.

Portakabin said in planning documents: “Bristol is continuing to experience a high demand for school places, which needs to be met within a dense urban environment. This means that Bristol secondary schools are again being asked to take extra pupils to make up for a desperate shortage of school places in the city.

“This proposal will accommodate year 7, year 8 & year 9 students and proposed planning permission until July 2026.” It said there would be 48 staff, including teachers and admin.

The new two-storey buildings would have six classrooms, music & dance rooms, a dining hall, kitchen, meeting rooms, toilets and changing space.

Community use for fabrics shop

A fabrics shop on Bedminster Parade would be turned into a flexible commercial and community use. Planning consultants said the only external changes to Calico & Co would be to doorways, with the one at the front widened and a ramp installed, while the secondary side entrance and fire exit would also be improved.

They said: “The new flexible unit would be a boon for Bedminster town centre, resulting in a destination for people, who may not otherwise visit the centre.” The agents said the building was in a conservation area but the property itself was considered neutral.

Fire-risk cladding at hospital car park

Timber cladding at Beaufort multi-storey car park at Southmead Hospital would be replaced with a fibre cement panel system. Planning agents said in documents submitted to the council: “The existing timber cladding that is in place along this full south-west elevation comprises a significant fire risk to land south-west of the car park.”

A previous application for a different replacement system was refused permission. The agents said the proposed work would maintain the design quality of the car park and should be approved.

Aardman tree-felling

A dead alder tree would be chopped down and 15 silver birches cut back at Aardman Animations. The trees are outside the world-famous studios in Gas Ferry Road.

And finally…

A householder has lodged an appeal against a decision over a high hedge in the aptly named Bramble Drive in Sneyd Park. No documents have yet been uploaded to the planning portal so there are no details yet.