Five blocks containing 434 build-to-rent homes signed off on conservation area site
AHMM has been given planning consent for a controversial 434 home build-to-rent scheme in Bristol’s Temple Quarter enterprise zone.
Bristol city council’s planning committee voted to approve developer Studio Hive’s proposals for Silverthorne Lane on Wednesday evening despite objections from the council’s own design officers and heritage advisor Historic England.
The scheme, located within the Silverthorne Lane conservation area, consists of five blocks ranging from 10 to 14 storeys in height containing a mix of studio, one, two and three-bed homes near Bristol Temple Meads station.
It also includes new workspace, bars and restaurants sited around a public space, a new water taxi stop for Bristol Ferry Boats and a waterside walkway beside the Feeder Canal.
A viability report by CBRE claimed the scheme would be unable to provide any affordable housing. Bristol council’s housing team have instead negotiated a payment of £1.1m for off-site affordable housing, of which half would be paid before commencement of construction and half on first occupation. Construction is expected to complete in 2029.
The scheme is three storeys taller than a previous proposal on the site, also designed by AHMM for Studio Hive, which was approved in 2022 following a call-in by the secretary of state.
The newer application has faced opposition from some consultees due to its increased height and its perceived impact on nearby heritage assets, including the grade II*-listed St Vincent Works, a 19th century factory building designed in the Bristol Byzantine style.
Historic England, the government’s heritage advisor, said the revised plans were a “retrograde step in architectural terms” compared to the previous consent, which is still extant.
“The proposed development will harm the character and appearance of the Silverthorne Lane conservation area, and harm the setting of the Grade II* listed St Vincent Works,” the body said.
It also argued the public benefits of the scheme, which were the main grounds for the secretary of state’s 2022 approval of the previous consent, were “weaker” in the revised plans.
The council’s design team agreed the scheme was is “more harmful to the historical settings than the consented one” because of its increased height and massing, adding that its “generic architectural language and lack of distinctiveness… fails to preserve or enhance the Conservation Area”.
However, planning officers recommended the scheme for approval ahead of Wednesday’s committee meeting, arguing the scheme would secure “much needed housing for this part of the city”.
Officers added the plans would be “of a scale and character consistent with existing and emerging development in the area”.
James Howard, development director at Studio Hive, said: “Silverthorne Lane represents the biggest regeneration of a brownfield site in Bristol for some time, one which will provide huge social value benefits in a previously neglected part of the city.
“At a time of considerable economic uncertainty we’re very proud to be delivering hundreds of much-needed new homes in the city centre, alongside employment and leisure opportunities for the people of Bristol and beyond.
“The city council’s decision means we can now press on with this exciting project with a view to delivery in around four years’ time.”
The project team also includes Gardiner & Theobald on costs, Hydrock as multi-disciplinary engineer, LT Studio as landscape architect and Lichfields on planning and heritage.
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