Feisty exchange with London-based developer over planned student flats in Bristol

The plan is to build 637 student flats on an industrial estate in The Dings
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It was only due to be a quick, low-key exhibition in the nearby school but the London-based developers showing locals their plans to build 637 student flats on an inner city Bristol industrial site got a little more than they probably bargained for.

The four-hour drop-in at Hannah More Primary School in The Dings was attended by representatives from real estate company Dominus and Bristol architects AHMM.

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They wanted to share their vision of creating two buildings, parts of which will be eight storeys high, with a ‘community space’, industrial units for ‘makers’ and a new supermarket.

Dominus have bought the land which is bordered by Alfred Street, Sussex Street, Kingsland Road and part of the Bristol & Bath railway cycle path.

The area in the Temple Quarter regeneration zone is currently home to a number of small local businesses including Invisible Circus, a scrap metal company and a Calor Gas storage yard.

The developers set up the exhibition so people could give their feedback on the scheme before submitting a formal planning application to Bristol City Council. The public consultation runs until March 17, just eight days after the drop-in.

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Prior to the presentation, the developers said they had worked in collaboration with community groups, local businesses and councillors to see what people wanted in the area.

But during some lively exchanges at the drop-in, residents and representatives from local businesses surrounding the site earmarked for redevelopment claimed they had had no notification of the event and hadn’t even had a dialogue with their new landlords about the plans or timeline.

One local resident who didn’t want to be named told Bristol World that they lived opposite the site where the student blocks would be built and was ‘very worried’ about the scale of the proposed buildings and the impact on their ‘right to light’.

Another local resident was concerned that the planned development was car-free apart from four disabled parking bays. “Where will people park when they visit the students? There is already residents’ parking permits around here, and what about all the delivery vehicles for the students and also the proposed supermarket?”

A CGI of the proposed student accommodation on Kingsland Road in The Dings (photo: Dominus Real Estate)A CGI of the proposed student accommodation on Kingsland Road in The Dings (photo: Dominus Real Estate)
A CGI of the proposed student accommodation on Kingsland Road in The Dings (photo: Dominus Real Estate)
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Paul Elvins runs Bristol Scrap Metal in Sussex Street. He opened in 2010 and it’s a family business with his wife, two sons and two other employees. His lease runs until 2026 so he is worried about the timeline of the proposed development and also the lack of communication to date.

He said: “All we’ve had so far is contact saying Dominus is the new landlord and we continue paying our rent to them. I’ve had a couple of emails saying they will come down to see us and have a chat but they haven’t, although they’ve been in the area schmoozing others.

“I’m worried because I don’t think there’s anything we can do about it to stop them - it’s their land after all.

“All I want is for them to come and sit down with us and have a chat. If I have to go before my lease is up in 2026, I have to find somewhere else to go and that’s not easy for a business like ours.

The site earmarked for redevelopment The site earmarked for redevelopment
The site earmarked for redevelopment
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“I wouldn’t want to relocate somewhere like Avonmouth because the business model is being a local scrap metal dealer in central Bristol. If they can come along and help us find somewhere that would help.”

Dominus principal director Jay Ahluwalia apologised to local traders for any miscommunication and stressed that he wanted to have a better dialogue with the local businesses currently on the site, and to help in any way possible to find other premises for them. He confirmed that his team would be meeting with the local businesses in the coming days.

“The last thing we want to do is destroy communities,” he said. “We want to include a new community hub and offer spaces for local creatives, too.”

Dominus Real Estate also say they would work with the local community – through construction and management – to create opportunities for training and apprenticeships to help people get onto or return to the jobs market.

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Old Market Community Association’s Paul Bradburn said: “It’s refreshing when a developer comes to talk to us early in the design process, listens to what we’ve got to say, actually reads our Neighbourhood Plan, and makes what are quite important changes as a direct result.

“The scheme now includes much-needed workshop spaces for local creative businesses, as well as eight town houses helping bring activity right down to street level, and reflect the traditional housing in The Dings.

“So, we fully support the current approach to delivering real and tangible community assets, and look forward to working with Dominus Real Estate in the coming months.”

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