Bristol City planning applications: Latest plans revealed, including a new Harbourside cafe and restaurant

Each week Bristol City Council receives dozens of planning applications seeking permission for a whole range of developments.

Over the past seven days, those applications also included building a terrace of houses in Bedminster and protecting a rare species of moss that lives in thatched roofs. 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.

Cafe on ground floor of Harbourside apartments

A new cafe, restaurant or shop could open up on the ground floor of a Harbourside apartment building. Balmoral House, on Cathedral Walk, used to be home to an indoor golf centre called inPlay Golf, which recently closed down.

Now the building’s owners, Nova Harbourside, are applying for a change of use for the ground floor unit. This would allow them to market the property to a wider range of businesses, and get the unit back in use for local residents.

In planning documents, planning agents said: “The applicant is keen to ensure that given the uncertain economic climate, flexibility in the permission means that alternative uses within Class E are permitted without the need to secure a subsequent consent.

“This will ensure that the unit can be used by a wider mix of tenants, making it more attractive to prospective occupiers and therefore potentially reducing the length of time that the unit remains vacant.”

https://pa.bristol.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=summary&keyVal=SG04D0DNHJA00

Four-storey houses in Bedminster next to pub

A terrace of four new houses could be built in Bedminster. Each would have four storeys and would be built on Philip Street, near Windmill Hill City Farm and Asda. The site is currently used as a car park, next to the Apple Tree pub.

Works on thatched roof to protect special moss

A cottage in Henbury will have its roof re-thatched, with works carried out to protect a special moss which lives on the roof. The cottage is one of nine in the Blaise Hamlet, owned by the National Trust. Still in occupation, they were built in 1811 to accommodate retired staff from the Blaise Castle estate.

In planning documents, applicants said: “Given the rarity of the moss, it is important that thatched roofs are repaired and maintained in a way that best ensures the survival of the moss. Thatch moss is capable of moving from the old and decaying thatch, which it prefers, to newer thatch on the same roof after around five years.”

A section of the existing thatched roof, which contains the moss, will be kept and installed in the newly thatched roof. This should allow the moss to survive and then colonise the new thatch.

Falling branch could have hit schoolchildren

Two cherry trees in Clifton could be chopped down after branches fell in the road. The trees, at Redgrave Theatre on Percival Road, will be replaced. One is dead and the other has suffered “limb failure”.

In an email to planning officers, the applicant said: “The branch ended up falling into the road. Had it fallen the other direction, it would have risked hitting a school pupil. As the tree is in a high occupancy area, my suggestion is to remove it due to risk of further limb failure.”