'Danger to children' - Plans to squeeze new Bristol house on end terrace lead to safety and parking fears

The house will be built on a driveway in Ashley Down on a narrow street where residents already find parking their car a “nightmare”. The two-bedroom house will be built on the corner of Osborne Avenue and Happy Lane.

Local residents are objecting to the plans due to the extra cars on their road, as well as concerns that Happy Lane could be blocked, which is a route for many children to walk to a nearby school. Councillors on the development control A committee voted to grant planning permission on Wednesday, September 24.

Separately, Bristol City Council is also considering new resident parking zones that could alleviate the problem in the wider neighbourhood.

Green Councillor Tim Wye, representing the Ashley ward, said: “It’s a very small space. There’s pressure on parking as it’s a very short street. This is an extra house and a loss of private parking space. It’s a major walking-to-school road for Sefton Park School. I was there at school time and there were loads of kids walking. We wouldn’t want any danger to the children.”

Jeremy Banning, a local resident, added: “Building a house on the driveway and garden will mean an additional three or four cars parking on the road. The driveway may be for one car, but two cars have been parked on it for more than 20 years. The street’s rammed, there’s simply no nearby parking spaces.”

The new house would be a “car-free scheme”, which means the architects hope the future residents don’t own a car. An increasing number of new homes built across Bristol are technically “car-free”, as in they don’t provide driveways or parking spaces, although this can sometimes just end up with residents parking on nearby residential roads instead.

Joshua Wood, representing the applicant, said: “Local policy does not require off-street parking. The highways [department at the council] supports this scheme given the excellent public transport links. This is sustainable development, making efficient use of land, avoiding green field sprawl.”

Council staff said the area was “well connected”. A new train station, Ashley Down, recently opened although services only run once an hour in each direction. But bus services also run nearby and the major Concorde Way cycling route is close too. Because of this, an extra one or two cars would “not be detrimental enough” for councillors to refuse permission.

Councillors admitted that the new house would make parking worse on the street. But they said the way to solve this problem would be through creating a new resident parking zone, and charging people in the area for permits to park near the homes, rather than refusing permission. New zones are currently being considered by transport experts at the council.

Green Cllr Rob Bryher, chair of the committee, said: “It may only be one or two additional cars on the street but I did look at the surrounding area, and it doesn’t have an awful lot of spare parking capacity. This area doesn’t have controlled parking, and that would be the solution.

“You would then see people make decisions about the way they travel around Bristol in a different light. I do think this will make more parking pressure on the street if we approve it, there’s no denying that. Equally I don’t think one or two additional cars on the street is a reason to refuse the application.”

Voting in favour were Green Cllrs Bryher, Abi Finch, Toby Wells and Ellie Freeman; Labour Cllr Katja Hornchen; Liberal Democrat Cllr Andrew Varney; and Conservative Cllr Richard Eddy. Voting against was Labour Cllr Al Al-Maghrabi.