One of the city's MPs is so worried about living conditions at a former office block in south Bristol she has raised the issue in Parliament.
In January, Bristol South MP Karin Smyth asked the council to stop housing families with children at Imperial Apartments, adding that all the families it has already housed at the controversial complex should be moved out as soon as possible. The Lib Dems then joined the calls, with one councillor urging Bristol City Council "to take responsibility".
Last month, Bristol Mayor Marvin Rees announced the council is to pause housing families with children there, admitting there are "some challenges" at the site. The mayor wouldn't say whether the existing families at the site would be moved out, but that the review will look into this.
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Karin Smyth has now raised this issue again - but this time she has done so on the House of Commons. She tweeted: "The standard of accommodation being allowed to be constructed across England is deeply worrying. In Bristol South we have the case of the Imperial Apartments.
"The Minister was oblivious of his own planning laws and obviously doesn’t know what's going on."
In the video clip, the MP can be heard requesting for a debate on the planning laws that allow for the conversion of offices into what she described as "substandard accommodation", giving the example of Imperial Apartments in her own constituency.
Mark Spencer MP replied to her: "I thank the Hon. Lady for her questions and it is an important issue.
"And obviously local authorities have the responsibility to make sure that landlords provide adequate accommodation for their tenants. And all conversions of that nature should follow building regulations and make sure those standards are upheld for tenants. "
Do you live at Imperial Apartments? What do you think about living there? Our reporter Estel would love to hear from you. You can contact her directly on estel.farellroig@reachplc.com
In recent months, BristolLive has reported on many concerns from residents at the former Parkview office complex in Hengrove - now known as Imperial Apartments.
Among the concerns raised about Imperial Apartments, a young mum claimed 'they are the worst' and a first-time dad said he feels so unsafe living there that he sleeps with a hammer and a screwdriver next to his bed, with other residents comparing the development to storage facilities and even a prison.
Another young mum claimed that her daughter ended up in hospital because of mould at her flat, while another claimed she is being sexually harassed "all the time".
Information released by the council stated that there are a total of 82 children under the age of five living at the development. The council wasn't able to provide details on children aged above five despite an officers’ warning that no child over five should live at the two-bed units created in the first phase.
Police figures showed the number of police call-outs to Imperial Apartments has almost doubled in the past couple of months. Avon and Somerset Police data shows officers were called to Imperial Apartments in Hengrove 73 times from mid-November 2021 to January 31, 2022. This means that, in those two and a half months, officers were on average called 29 times to the site each month.
Bristol City Council, which rents nearly 70 per cent of the properties at the site, had previously admitted that the use of a former council office block in south Bristol for housing is "not an ideal option" and city mayor Marvin Rees described it as 'the least worst option'.
However, the council has previously defended its decision, saying the site has provided housing for more than 200 people. Caridon - the developer behind the controversial conversion - has previously said Bristol City Council is happy with them.
In summer 2020, the council revealed it was planning on housing people in the complex which was being redeveloped by Caridon, a company which was the subject of a Newsnight investigation as residents in one of their developments in London complained about overcrowding, the mix of people, violence and substance misuse.
At the time, housing chiefs at Bristol City Council admitted they had concerns about teaming up with a developer accused of creating “human warehousing” - but said they were "determined to make this development a success and thriving community in which to live".
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Caridon turned it into homes without the need for planning consent under permitted development rights, which meant the usual regulations stipulating minimum sizes did not apply.
According to the floor plans submitted to Bristol City Council, studios at the development start at 18m2 - which is smaller than the average 29m2 shipping container - while the two bedroom flats at the site start at 38m2 and go up to 76m2. The law was changed last year and it now requires new homes built under permitted development rights to be over 37m2, with two-bedrooms units being a minimum of 61m2.
Read more: Imperial Apartment residents compare site to storage facilities
Read more: Imperial Apartments houses more than 80 children under the age of five
Read more: Take a look inside controversial housing development
