Road safety experts slam St Christopher’s school redevelopment near the Downs

Traffic and road safety experts at Bristol City Council have heavily criticised proposals to build a luxury retirement complex on the former St Christopher’s school site in Westbury Park.

They say the plans would be “detrimental to highway safety” and are calling for the plans to be withdrawn completely.

Developers want to build multi-storey blocks of flats on the former special school site and the scheme, which has proved controversial locally as well as across the city, is currently being considered by the council’s planning department.

Now the council’s own highways department has lodged a formal submission stating that the plans should be dismissed.

Their report claims the proposed complex for more than 200 residents would be unsafe for pedestrians, cyclists and drivers.

Their report concludes that developers have “not demonstrated that pedestrians, cyclists and motorists can safely access and move around the site”.

The report goes on to acknowledge the already pressured and congested roads around the site, in Westbury Park, and says the planned number of only 60 car parking spaces to cater for 120 apartments and all the visiting care staff, is “insufficient”.

It also calls a proposed vehicle entrance on Etloe Road near a nursery school “unacceptable”.

The transport and highway experts conclusion echoes research carried out by local neighbourhood group, SCAN (the St. Christopher’s Action Network) who are campaigning for the sensitive and appropriate development of the site.

Earlier this year, SCAN conducted a survey of local opinions on road safety and, also, photographed and logged car movements.

Their work showed how nearby roads are already overrun with dangerous parking and hazards for families walking to and from local schools.

SCAN’s detailed research predicts massive overspill parking and a risk to road safety should this scheme be built.

Road safety concerns were also a prime concern among the 600 formal objections submitted to the city council by residents as part of the planning process.

Robin Hambleton, Professor of City Leadership at the University of the West of England and a member of SCAN, lives locally.

He said: “It’s a relief to know the city council’s transport department agrees with SCAN that these plans have the potential to bring parking and road safety chaos to Westbury Park.

“We have always said this scheme is badly thought out and that a huge overdevelopment of this kind would be entirely out of keeping with the largely two-storey nature of our neighbourhood.

“The community has been vociferous about the reality of parking round here - among other numerous and well-founded objections.

“Let’s hope the developers see sense and withdraw this unviable and unwelcome scheme.”

The proposals have also attracted criticism from major figures in the community with all the local councillors, as well as the local MP Darren Jones, submitting formal objections.

Environmental and heritage groups have also objected to the plans, with Historic England calling it “harmful” and Friends of the Downs noting that pictures of the scheme provided by the developers are “quite misleading”.

The Crime Reduction Unit has also labelled the development “unacceptable” and, in their objection to the scheme, claimed the developers had not given “appropriate consideration to safety and security”.

Additional concerns have been voiced about the excessive number of mature trees that are due to be felled, the loss of much needed residential accommodation and education for children with special needs, and the absence of affordable housing provision within the scheme.

The plans are currently being considered by Bristol City Council.