Developers, who want to transform a famous South Bristol shopping centre into a new neighbourhood, have updated and changed their plans after 'listening to local residents'.
Proposals to turn the entire block that contains the Broadwalk Shopping Centre and its multi-storey car park in Knowle into the ‘Redcatch Quarter’ development still involve building 800 flats in blocks up to 12-storeys high.
Developers said their new proposals will ‘transform the 1970s car-dependent Broadwalk Shopping Centre into a vibrant, friendly and walkable destination suitable for the 21st century’, and they have released new images of the altered plans.
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Developers held months of consultation - with meetings and a website taking comments on the original designs, and said they have listened to the comments from local residents and changed the plans.
The new ‘Redcatch Quarter’ proposals include ‘flexible shops’, a cinema and a community hub, along with a cafe and restaurant area with views of Redcatch Park.
One of the new artist’s impressions of what the development will look like has been created from the vantage point in Redcatch Park, and now shows three tall buildings facing the park. “The proposals respond to the constructive feedback received from our nearest neighbours, stakeholders, our ward councillors, technical consultees, and the wider community,” a spokesperson for the developers Redcatch Quarter, said. “Following your feedback, the proposals now include a neighbourhood cinema, a comprehensively designed layout and more engaging and attractive entrance into Redcatch Park,”
Francis Hilton, the manager of what could be a £150 million project, said they have tweaked the proposals. “We are very grateful to local people for the feedback they have provided, which has been instrumental in informing the proposals,” he said. “We look forward to continuing to work with local people, stakeholders, and Bristol City Council to help realise the potential to create a thriving and bustling heart for Knowle that improves the vitality of the town centre and celebrates the distinct identity of the local area,” he added.
The plan is to create what the developers are calling a pedestrianised high street that runs from the Wells Road, through the development, to Redcatch Park, with the shops and restaurants either side, and the flats above.
“Everyday essentials like a local supermarket and pharmacy will be embedded in the Redcatch Quarter alongside a variety of shops, cafes and restaurants, a neighbourhood cinema and a ‘Community Hub’, which will include a new library,” a spokesperson said. “The retail and commercial space will be supported by new homes and the creation of a 15-minute walkable neighbourhood. To conserve energy and mitigate against fuel poverty, the new homes will use 75% less energy than the average new home,” she added.
The developers said people have one more opportunity to give their feedback - the consultation period draws to a close on Friday, July 8, before they submit the planning application to Bristol City Council - when people can formally and officially have their say to the council planning process.
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