Blackberry Hill Hospital Manor Road Fishponds – 16/05376/F
Regeneration, refurbishment and demolition of existing buildings and new build development to provide a total of 305 residential 510 sqm of commercial/retail floorspace and 280 sqm community space.
Blackberry Hill Hospital is a brownfield site of 6.9ha now owned by the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA). It comprises old and newer buildings and parkland designated as a Town and Village Green. The HCA and Galliford Try Regeneration have applied for planning permission to build 305 houses comprising 192 new houses and 113 homes following the conversion of three existing buildings. There will be retail/commercial space and community space; the developer will landscape the site.
The Society supports this mix of uses, the landscaping proposals and public access to the parkland. The Society has suggested the retention of the chapel, a substantial Victorian building. With imaginative conversion the chapel would add interest and enhance local distinction. With regret, the Society supports the demolition the remaining buildings on the site which have a lesser heritage significance. The Society strongly supports the proposal to set the maximum building height across the site at three stories to be consistent with the height of the retained buildings. This suburban site does not call for taller buildings. On the edge of the parkland, to mitigate the development’s impact, the houses will be limited to two floors.
The Society supports the overall mix of buildings, which will deliver a balance of close-grained living. The open space on the east of the site will be retained as a village green; it is a significant feature of the development. It is important for there to be easy public access to this valuable green space. The Society has asked for the retention of the mature trees to maintain a feeling of continuity in the changing landscape.
Bristol Civic Society’s response [PDF, 450KB] Right-click to download, click to view.
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John Frenkel
johnfrenkel5@gmail.com