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Bristol Post

National

Tristan Cork

Broadwalk or Redcatch Quarter - huge plans divide the Knowle community

Knowle (Geopolitical Entity) Broadwalk South Bristol (Location) Chris Davies Covid-19 Gary Hopkins Broadwalk Shopping Centre (Facility) Bristol

The number of local residents objecting to the demolition of the Broadwalk Shopping Centre in Knowle and the creation of a huge residential development called Redcatch Quarter is currently running at more than 10 to one. A total of 161 formal objections have been recorded with city planners to the Redcatch Quarter proposal, and just 14 people have written in to support.

But Bristol Live can reveal that the plans have divided local councillors in the South Bristol area, with the two Knowle councillors backing the scheme, while Tories and Greens in the area are against it. The plans have divided the community in Knowle, ever since a planning application was submitted in the summer.

There is already an outline planning permission from 2019 for a partial redevelopment of the Broadwalk Shopping Centre, with 420 new flats being built on the site between Wells Road and Redcatch Park.

But after Covid and a change of ownership of the land, new developers returned a year ago with an even more ambitious plan - to completely level the site, demolishing the shopping centre, the car park and other buildings there, and create a huge development of up to 880 flats, in blocks of up to 12 storeys, along with a new pedestrian ‘high street’ lined with bars and shops connecting the Wells Road with a new gateway into Redcatch Park.

Local residents have mobilised against the plans, saying they are too much, the buildings and too big and there are too many flats being built on what is a relatively small site. The Knowle Neighbourhood Planning Group has organised public meetings and leaflet drops to raise awareness of the plans, and so far 161 people have formally objected to the planning application, which is yet to be decided by city planners.

But the opposition to the ‘Redcatch Quarter’ project is not unanimous. As well as the 14 local residents who have posted their support for the scheme, the two local Knowle councillors, Gary Hopkins and Chris Davies, who quit the Lib Dems in December 2021 to form their own ‘Knowle Community Party’, said they support the scheme.

“The first thing to say about this application is that it is vital that we get development of our town centre that meets the modern needs of our community and the city as a whole,” they said. “There is little disagreement that there needs to be redevelopment but the seriousness should be understood by planners and those on the planning committee making the final decision.”

The two local councillors said the new proposal for double the number of flats was actually better than the original proposal, which would have seen the existing Broadwalk Shopping Centre refurbished rather than demolished altogether.

“We had for some years done our best to promote the centre despite its failings as it was vital for all our local traders including those in the "outside" near area. It used to be good for providing bargain shops but has for many years not attracted many local people as it has not provided the range of shops that they would find attractive. The sustainability tipping point passed a few years back,” they said.

Bristol City Councillors Chris Davies and Gary Hopkins, who represent Knowle (Bristol Lib Dems)

“The centre is 50 years old, in poor shape and very expensive to maintain. The car park as an example is on safety watch and will cost many millions. When planning permission was granted unanimously by this council for the scheme applied for in 2018 the centre was in the hands of administrators and is still losing money every month. The existing building is not attractive and presents a very ugly brick wall and multi-storey car park to our wonderful Redcatch Park. We look forward to an improved aspect even if it is a little higher.

"An open aspect with a cafe or two will be welcome. The existing permission granted effectively to the same lead developer did not proceed due to Covid and the effects of Covid on the retail sector would now make that scheme unviable. The new application is actually a better scheme and more attention has been given to the environmental outcomes which will be very positive,” the two councillors added.

Support, of sorts, has also come from the Friends of Redcatch Park, which said it polled people using the park during September 2022 and found they were '90 per cent in favour of the development'. In a statement to planners, it said FORP was ‘broadly in support of the outline planning application in principle’, but wanted a list of 10 concerns about the huge Redcatch Quarter project, and its impact on the park to be dealt with first.

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However, while Friends of Redcatch Park told city planners in its own submission on the planning application that 90 per cent were in favour of the proposal, the group's own survey results were slightly different. That survey found that 28.5 per cent of park users they asked replied 'yes' to the question: "Are you in favour of Redcatch Quarter Development?" Another 10.3 per cent said 'no', but almost two-thirds - 63.2 per cent - said: "Depends on the size and the facilities".

Among the 14 local residents who have so far written in to planners to express their support for the proposal, one claimed the ‘vast majority’ of local people were actually in favour of what is proposed.

“Please approve this and let the developers get on with the work,” said the resident, whose name or details have been hidden by the council. “I have lived in Knowle most of my life and the current facilities are inadequate. The development is much-needed and long overdue. It will bring new jobs and much needed shops and housing with better links to the park. Please don't let the minority of people objecting spoil this for the community. They all have somewhere to live but more housing and local facilities are really needed. I live 100 yards from Broadwalk and so want the development to happen,” they added.

Artist's impressions of a proposed new Redcatch Quarter development, to replace the Broadwalk Shopping Centre at Knowle, as seen from Redcatch Park (Redcatch Quarter)

But the vast majority of people who have submitted a view on the proposals to council planners have been against - and for a variety of reasons. Some are objecting to only seven per cent of the flats being designated as ‘affordable’ - which is four times lower than the council’s official policy of having 30 per cent of the new homes in developments being affordable.

Others have objected that the blocks of flats will be too big and overwhelming for the area, that Knowle and its schools, doctors, roads, parking and facilities will not be able to cope with an influx of up to 2,000 people, while others say the residential development itself breaks planning policy rules because the homes are too densely packed in.

That’s one of many objections from Cllr Lisa Stone, who represents nearby Windmill Hill for the Green Party. She said the plans needed to change because it will not be a good environment for the people who live there.

The proposed Redcatch Quarter (Redcatch Quarter)

She said the development was ‘too dense’, with 428 dwellings per hectare making Redcatch Quarter a ‘hyper-dense space’. “Living in poor quality accommodation at higher densities can make us sad and affect our physical health. For example, intense urban environments can exacerbate mental illness and represent threatening environments to vulnerable users, or negatively affect our physical health through exposure to air and noise pollution. The physical constraints of living in densely-developed environments can also be felt in the home. Access to daylight and sunlight is often restricted, privacy from neighbours and external activity can be reduced and access to open space can be limited,” she explained.

And local Tory councillors in South Bristol are also objecting. Cllr Jonathan Hucker, (Con, Stockwood) said he was objecting because the new homes were too highly concentrated, and having buildings up to 12 storeys high was out of keeping with the area, as well as because retail and leisure facilities would be lost, and there were not enough affordable homes, or parking spaces, included.

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