Latest Bristol planning applications revealed, including Guildhall repairs and hundreds of new student flats

Over the past seven days, those applications also included refurbishing and expanding a community centre in South Bristol and fixing timber floors in a historic building in the city centre.

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.

Hundreds of student flats

Developers are in the early stages of applying for planning permission to build 299 student beds behind Cabot Circus in St Judes. The site is currently home to a drama school named the Big Act, and the wider area is earmarked for a massive regeneration project called the Frome Gateway.

Dandara Living has asked if an environmental impact assessment is needed for their plans, before they apply for planning permission in full. That means only few details have been published so far, but they include building the flats and commercial or community uses on the ground floor, on Little George Street. The buildings would range from five to nine storeys.

Refurbish and expand community centre

The Filwood Community Centre in Knowle West is set to be refurbished and expanded. The plans are being funded as part of a £14-million Levelling Up grant from the government. The community centre stands at the top of Filwood Broadway, a small and tired shopping street which will also see major works over the next few years.

In planning documents, architects said: “The ambition for expanding Filwood Community Centre is to bring people together, grow local pride, change perceptions about the area, and support and showcase local creative talents. The project will contribute to the wider aim of rebuilding Filwood Broadway as a local centre.”

Fixing rotten timber floors in historic building

Timber floors in the Guildhall in the city centre could soon be repaired, after suffering extensive dry rot. The historic building on Broad Street is Grade II-listed and is earmarked to become a luxury hotel, but has been left vacant for many years. The site dates back to the 13th century, and was originally used by a Guild of Merchants, and then later Bristol’s crown court.

The Guildhall was hit by a major fire in 2020, with roofs collapsing and much of the building becoming saturated with water. The leftover moisture then provided the conditions for “dry rot to prosper”, according to architects.