Update #8
“Deeply disappointing” final plans have been submitted
No major changes - the developers have not listened to the community!
Final designs for the St Christopher’s school site in Westbury Park have now been lodged with Bristol City Council. They are deeply disappointing.
SCAN (St Christopher’s Action Network) feels the developers have completely failed to address the community’s main concerns.
Watch this space to find out how and when you can have your say and formally object to this scheme should you wish to..
Despite the enormous volume of feedback submitted by Westbury Park residents during the public consultation period, the developers are still pushing ahead with insensitive and inappropriate plans. They have largely ignored our pleas.
You can see the plans on the Council’s website here.
We will be going through all the 127 planning documents submitted to the City Council over the next few weeks, and will let you know about the key details that emerge.
But for now, here is a quick summary of what we know.
● The community gave a clear message that the scheme was far too big for the site and we asked for far fewer new housing units.
■ BUT the developers have now INCREASED the number of flats and houses from 121 to 122!
● The community gave a clear message that we didn't want any overwhelming blocks of flats that were out of keeping in the Downs Conservation Area.
■ BUT the developers have retained FOUR multi-storey blocks. One of them will be SIX storeys high! Only one building has been reduced in height – and by just one storey.
● The community gave a clear message that we are worried about the impact on road safety, traffic and parking.
■ BUT the developers have REDUCED the number of on-site parking spaces from 120 to just 65. That’s 65 spaces for all the residents (approx 200), plus staff, visitors, delivery and service vehicles. Guess where everyone is going to park?
● The community gave a clear message that we did not want a vehicle entrance near the nursery on Bayswater Avenue or a pedestrian access on The Glen.
■ BUT the developers have kept both these inappropriate access routes in their plans.
● The community asked how much access local schoolchildren and the wider public would get to the small landscaped gardens and new on-site facilities such as swimming pool, café etc.
■ BUT the developers have only given vague aspirations – with no clear guarantees or commitments.
It will soon be time to tell the Council what you think of the plans. SCAN will be objecting as strongly as possible. After seeing the plans, the Westbury Park Community Association (WPCA) have also said they are “unacceptable, particularly on the grounds of overdevelopment and the scale, mass and height of the proposed new villas”.
BUT PLEASE DON’T CONTACT THE COUNCIL JUST YET. If you submit your views now, they might not count. We will let you know when the official period opens for sending in your views and objections . It is likely to be in the next few weeks.
In the meantime, here are some pictures from the developers' plans that give an indication of how the new buildings might look..
Proposed view from Royal Albert Road
Proposed view from St Helena Road
Proposed view from The Glen
Proposed view of the six storey block of flats from the Downs