Plans approved for two giant tower blocks in Bristol city centre

Plans have been approved for two giant new student flats and co-living developments in the city centre.

Developers now have planning permission to knock down the Premier Inn by the Bearpit and the NCP car park on Rupert Street.

A tower block of student flats on the Premier Inn could reach up to 28 storeys high, which would make it the tallest building in Bristol. The height of the tower proved controversial with many people objecting to the plans, particularly as it stands next to a Grade-I listed church.

Another controversial aspect of both developments is that they will include hundreds of “co-living” rooms. These tiny studio flats sit alongside shared spaces such as kitchens and living rooms, and are an increasingly common type of development in other cities like London.

Councillors on the development control A committee at Bristol City Council voted to approve permission on Wednesday, March 6, for both sets of plans at the Bearpit and Rupert Street. Several members of the public urged the committee to refuse the Bearpit plans.

Kim Hicks said: “It is far too tall, destroying views in all directions, especially if combined with the forthcoming proposal for the Debenhams site. It diminishes the already overshadowed Church of St James Priory, flying in the face of national planning policy which underlines the importance of protecting our historic environment.

“It does nothing to solve the housing crisis, creating zero affordable housing, only offering unfortunate students accommodation with few windows that they can’t open anyway because of the air pollution. The embodied carbon within this development would be totally at odds with our ambition to be carbon neutral by 2030. The beauty and human scale of Bristol is under attack.”

The Premier Inn will be demolished, and two blocks will replace it, a 28-storey tower of 422 student bedrooms and an 18-storey tower of 142 co-living rooms. Developers Olympian Homes said the area around the buildings will be vastly improved, particularly for passengers leaving the adjacent bus station, including with a new public square.

Mark Slatter, chairman of Olympian Homes, said: “This development would replace a very tired building with what we hope will be the most elegant tall building in Bristol, helping relieve the pressure on wider family housing stock and providing 26 affordable co-living homes at key city workers, including those employed at the nearby Bristol Royal Infirmary.

“Co-living provides an accessible option for renters, costing about 25 per cent less than renting a one-bedroom flat. Our development would also transform the public space in this location. I can assure you that we will start the development this year, this will get built.”

Five minutes down the road, the multi-level car park on Rupert Street will also be demolished. The car park, next to the Bridewell Police Station, is a classic example of 1960s Brutalist architecture, and some people had campaigned to get the building protected.

Developers Pegasus Group now have permission to replace the car park with a new car park, as well as 328 student beds and 249 co-living studios. The new building will be up to 20 storeys tall. The public area on the street outside will also be improved, with new public art, benches, and planting. 20 per cent of the co-living studios in both developments will be “affordable”.

The committee voted unanimously to approve the car park plans, but were split on the Premier Inn proposals, with Greens voting against the 28-storey tower block on the Bearpit due to its height. Councillors also appeared broadly positive about the co-living aspect of the plans, although some questioned whether future residents would move there out of choice, or necessity.

Green Councillor Tom Hathway said: “There’s clearly a need for a broader conversation about co-living developments. If I were designing a city from scratch, I absolutely would include co-living as part of the mix of dwellings available for people to move to.

“But in Bristol we have an acute, chronic housing shortage, and I do question whether the people moving into these new co-living developments will be people that really want the social aspect, or are just people who are bearing the brunt of the housing shortage and living in small studio flats and really not making the most of the social engagement.”