Controversial plans to demolish Broadwalk Shopping Centre in Knowle and build up to 850 homes have been refused unanimously by Bristol city councillors. Planning committee members voted 9-0 against officers’ recommendation to grant permission amid concerns about a lack of affordable housing, the height of the buildings as tall as 12 storeys and that too many flats would be crammed onto the site.
Councillors said it was like “trying to squeeze a quart into a pint pot” and branded the idea that the development, known as Redcatch Quarter, was a new village as "an insult to villages across the land”. One resident said it would be an “ongoing visual and social disaster planned right in the heart of Knowle”.
The proposals, which have divided the community, involved bulldozing all the buildings on site, including the snooker hall, bingo hall, multi-storey car park and shops. They included a cinema/theatre community space, dental surgery and a pedestrianised high street connecting Redcatch Park to Wells Road.
