Hundreds of student homes could be built on a disused part of a retail park on the outskirts of North Bristol. An empty plot of land at Filton Retail Park, which was formerly B&Q garden centre before its closure years ago, could be built on along with part of the car park.
Canada Life Asset Management has announced the new development in partnership with the University of the West of England (UWE), as the site is close to UWE’s Frenchay campus. Its proposal is for a building ranging in height from five storeys in the east to nine storeys in the south-west corner, arranged around a central courtyard.
It would accommodate 329 student bedrooms as well as communal spaces. A landscaped courtyard will "act as the social heart of the scheme", according to the developer, and provide outdoor recreational space with habitats for wildlife to "help to achieve Biodiversity Net Gain".
