A decision is due on huge plans for 140 new homes in Lockleaze on the site of an old council depot. Goram Homes, the council-owned developer, is seeking planning permission to build 140 homes off Dovercourt Road. Bristol City Council’s development control committee is set to vote soon on whether to grant permission.
Local residents and councillors have raised fears that the site, on the council storage depot between Dovercourt Road and the railway, only has one small access road. Developers said they would redesign the road, making it more suitable and safe for future residents.
The 140 homes would include a mix of two, three and four-storey buildings, comprising about 63 apartments and 77 houses. Thirty per cent of the homes would be classed as affordable housing. The council received 183 public objections to the plans, and three letters in support.
READ MORE: Council-owned developer accused of 'underhand tactics' over 140- home scheme
Cllr David Wilcox, representing Lockleaze, commented on the application: “I do see the need for affordable housing in both Lockleaze and across the city, and this development might deliver at least 42 out of 140 homes…However, I cannot support a development that isn’t fit for purpose by having a single access route onto Dovercourt Road.
“It is too narrow and will lead to collisions on Dovercourt Road or the access road itself.”
The single access route is a small T-junction leading onto Dovercourt Road. This would be changed by installing dropped kerbs, widening the pavements, and making the road more narrow. A second access route was planned for emergency use, which would have gone through an existing lane between numbers 98 and 100 Dovercourt Road. But this route has been removed from the plans, after objections from residents and talks with the fire service.
Councillors on the development control committee were originally due to make a decision on housing plans on Wednesday, September 14. But this has now been delayed, after all public Bristol City Council meetings were postponed following the death of the Queen last week. It’s unclear when the meeting will take place instead, although it’s expected to be soon.
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