Plans for a 16-storey building to be built in Lawrence Hill have been met with opposition by neighbours who object to another high rise in a neighbourhood already dominated by tower blocks. But the community consultation on the bid has seen a mixed response with some locals welcoming the idea of new housing.
The Barrow Road development, if approved, will see a total of 340 new homes built on what was formerly Pure Gym (Mecca Bingo before that) and a car park. The housing will include a row of townhouses, and two residential buildings - one 10-storeys, one 16-storeys.
Now, one of the neighbours has set up a campaign on social media opposing to the plan, stating that the densely-populated area does not need another high-rise building. Eve Burgsoul created a Facebook group No to another Tower Block in Lawrence Hill/Barton Hill and has organised meetings with locals and set up a petition against the scheme.
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Galliard Homes, which is set to submit a planning application to Bristol City Council in April, says that the new development will help with the housing, ecology and climate crisis. Alongside the housing that will be developed on the brownfield site, there are plans for the creation of a new green space and play area.
Eve, who lives in a terraced house opposite the proposed development site, says she will be directly impacted. She had previously attended the Pure Gym, which was relocated to The Eastgate Retail Park in August 2022, and said it was one of the few places that anyone in the community could go.
She said: “It’s going to take away a key leisure facility for us and the proposal is incredibly dense and brutal with several tower blocks, one of which is probably higher than the existing tower blocks in Lawrence Hill. It is an area which is under-resourced, we don’t really have a solid collective community voice and I think the developers are counting on it.
“This area already has a large number of tower blocks and tower blocks have never been conducive to social problems. High-rise living is not the best kind of living and we’re being put upon to just accept this.
“I live in the street adjacent to it so I am going to be greatly affected by it. It might solve the problem of having a few more houses but it will break down the community more. We live in a Victorian street which is going to be greatly overshadowed by this huge new development.”
Some of the locals are in favour of new housing. Mohammed Sayaqle, who lives in a tower block in Barton Hill, says that there is a need to build new housing in the area. He said: “I can understand some people have some reservations concerning the building of new flats in the area.
“However, let us not forget the housing problem has been an issue in the area. There are families that have been waiting to be rehoused for an extended period of time, Covid-19 has exposed the housing inequality in our city.
“There are people living in overcrowded accommodation for long periods, so clearly there is a need to build new houses in the area, without dismissing the safety concerns of people from tower blocks. The housing problems in the area are affecting the wellbeing of young people, their behaviour and the quality of life they experience.”
While Bristol has a desperate need, particularly for affordable family homes, the proposed development will provide housing that will mostly be unavailable for the tens of thousands of people on the housing waiting list because only 20 per cent of the housing will be allocated as affordable housing. The remainder of the homes available in the build-to-rent scheme will be set at the market rate.
Feedback from the consultation shows there is concern over how the development will impact on parking. There is debate over the introduction of a residents' parking zone and the developer hopes to attract a demographic with low car ownership.
While the bigger townhouses may be rented by families, the flats are expected to house single people or couples aged between 20 and 35. Although the official data on car ownership does not account for age, the statistics show that renters are less likely to own a car than homeowners and those on the lowest incomes and in social housing tend to have the lowest rates of car ownership.
The full details of how the 20 per cent affordable housing will be allocated are yet to be revealed. Although 20 per cent is the minimum legal requirement for affordable housing according to the current government guidelines on new housing developments, Bristol Live has been told that Galliard Homes is unable to guarantee it will deliver the full quota given that the plans and costs are yet to be finalised.
It is not known if any of the townhouses will be available at an affordable rent. The plan is to have the affordable housing ‘pepper potted’ across the development rather than confined to any particular section.
A spokesperson for Galliard Homes said: “Over the last few months we’ve been talking to officers, residents, businesses and community representatives about the opportunity to create new homes off Barrow Road. There has been a great deal of support and importantly a range of topics raised for us to address as our proposals move forward.
“Bristol’s housing crisis is well known and this former car park and Mecca Bingo is an ideal location, underused, with great connections, close to shops and the city centre. The plans include homes and apartments, with around 50 per cent of the land being returned to green space for public gardens, play and ecology. In line with Bristol’s green agenda and local feedback, we will make this a low car ownership scheme.”
According to Galliard homes, the relocation of Pure Gym had been finalised prior to the developer purchasing the site. We Are Paddle is currently leasing the site while the planning process takes place.
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