How a 15-minute walk to Temple Meads station scuppered plans for South Bristol's tallest tower

Galliard Apsley Partnership has applied for planning permission from Bristol City Council to build 434 homes and student flats with 400 beds on an industrial site between Victoria Park and the New Cut. However they have faced heavy opposition from the public and Green councillors. Many locals criticised the height of one of the buildings, blocking popular views from the park.

The plans were vetoed by the planning committee A on January 28, due to the flats being “over-intensive” development. The crux of the argument was not just about the height of a 23-storey tower, but also about how long the walk to the nearest public transport options were. Councillors can’t refuse permission straight away, and must wait until the next meeting.

“Harm to heritage” was another reason given for blocking the plans, as views of the St Mary Redcliffe church would be impacted from some locations, such as from a bank in Victoria Park. The scheme will return to the committee in March, when they could refuse planning permission.

Green Councillor Rob Bryher, chair of the committee, said: “I didn’t find that this was within a five-minute walk. I found four minutes to Spring Street, but that only serves one bus so I don’t think you could call that a major public transport route. So this may not be suitable as an intensive location. It’s not meeting that guidance of being within a five-minute walk.”

Walking to Temple Meads from Princess Street would take around 15 minutes, and the site is also about a seven-minute walk away from Bedminster train station. Metrobus stops on Bedminster Parade are also about a seven-minute walk away, as well as stops for several other bus routes. Many bus routes also run past Temple Meads too.

The council’s new Local Plan — an important document setting out how Bristol should develop over the next several years — includes a policy about “making efficient use of land”. This states that more intensive forms of development will be expected on suitable sites, including those “close to major public transport routes and corridors”.

This specifically means locations that are within five-minutes walk, or about 400 metres, of train stations, Metrobus stops and major bus routes. Developers want to squeeze in hundreds of homes within a one-hectare site, which is a much higher density than traditional terraced houses.

On the one hand, building so many homes close to the city centre means that people can more easily walk, cycle or rely on public transport, compared to relying on driving a car in the outer suburbs. On the other hand, constructing large buildings changes the character of an area, and can make people feel hemmed in and overshadowed, and many flats would have a lack of light.

Labour Cllr Don Alexander, former cabinet member for transport, said: “It’s very sustainable in terms of transport. You might find seven minutes a long walk to the station, or in fact to two stations including the biggest one in the South West. If this was in Lawrence Weston you would have a 20-minute walk to the flagpole bus stop.

“Either we can put the housing for people who haven’t got housing out in Lawrence Weston, and give them all a car. Or we can house them in an area like this, and as this proposal does, virtually ban them from having a car unless they have disabilities which warrant one. That’s the way towards sustainability and a transport system that works.”

Voting in favour of the plans were Cllr Alexander, Liberal Democrat Cllr Andrew Varney, and Conservative Cllr Richard Eddy. Voting against were Green Cllrs Bryher, Ellie Freeman, Serena Ralston, and Shona Jemphrey; and Labour Cllr Katja Hornchen. Labour Cllr Kye Dudd abstained.