A huge office block development on Bristol’s most historic city centre spot can now go ahead, after a Government minister said he wouldn’t order a rethink.
The plans for three tall office blocks around the old St Mary le Port church to replace eyesore 1960s bank buildings at the end of Castle Park were given planning permission in December last year.
But the scheme is highly controversial, with both Bristol Civic Society and the Government’s own heritage body Historic England objecting to the plans. In January, the Civic Society formally applied to the Government minister responsible for planning to ‘call-in’ the application and order a public inquiry.
Read more: Major plans to transform eyesore St Mary le Port site in Castle Park approved
That request put the development on hold, but now the Secretary of State has told the Civic Society that there aren’t good enough reasons to call in the application - so it can go ahead.
The development will radically change one of Bristol’s most historic spots.
The northern side of the High Street from Bristol Bridge to the old, historic city centre at the junction with Wine Street and Corn Street was once filled with tightly-packed medieval and Georgian buildings, homes and shops until the area was almost completely destroyed by the Luftwaffe during the Bristol Blitz.
While the rest of the historic core of Bristol city centre was turned into Castle Park, the High Street end saw three brutalist office blocks built in 1962, which are now frequently voted the ugliest or worst-eyesore buildings in Bristol.
The development project will see the three former bank buildings at the corner of Wine Street and High Street will be replaced with one nine-storey and two eight-storey office blocks, with independent retailers, cafés, restaurants, and bars at ground level.
The developer will also expand the park, restore the ruined St Mary le Port church tower, and reinstate three historic city centre streets that were lost during the Bristol Blitz.
When the plans were put to city councillors on the planning committee, the decision to approve them was not unanimous.
The planning officer who recommended the scheme for approval said it would bring economic benefits for the city as a whole, and “on balance” this outweighed the downsides. He admitted the tall buildings would overshadow Castle Park, but said the developer had assured the council their size was necessary from a financial viability point of view.
The officer pointed out the council’s city centre framework allowed for four buildings on the small 1.2ha site but MEPC had voluntarily decided to build only three based on feedback from a public consultation. The council’s senior planning officer, Gary Collins, assured committee members there was still an appetite for high-quality office space in the city centre, despite a switch to home-working during the pandemic.
The nine-strong planning committee voted five to three to approve the application, despite their reservations. One councillor abstained. Committee chair Richard Eddy admitted the plans were controversial, but said he thought they suited and enhanced the prominent central city location.
“Castle Park in my view is a bit like New York Central Park, so large buildings surrounding it may be appropriate and may actually add to the attractiveness of the location,” the Conservative councillor said.
Green councillor Fi Hance said: “It’s not the most beautiful development, but it’s better than what we’ve got and it’s a sight better than some of the proposals in the past.” Labour councillor Chris Jackson said: “The site is an eyesore. It’s been an eyesore for as long as I can remember.”
Green councillor Ed Plowden called two of the buildings “too high and too massive” and objected to the tree loss, along with fellow Green member Tom Hathway.
In response to the Bristol Civic Society's request for a call-in, a spokesperson for the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities told the Civic Society's chairman Simon Birch it would not be happening.
"The Government remains committed to giving more power to councils and communities to make their own decisions on planning issues and believe that planning decisions should be made at the local level wherever possible," the spokesperson said. "The call-in policy makes it clear that the power to call in a case will only be used very selectively.
"The Secretary of State has decided, having had regard to this policy, not to call in this application. He is satisfied that the application should be determined at a local level. I appreciate that this is not the preferred outcome for you, and I understand that there will be great disappointment as a result. It is however, now for the Council to determine this application," he added.
READ MORE: What is being planned at St Mary Le Port
