This development brief for an area close to Bath Road and Temple Meads has been produced quickly in the face of current planning applications. The second public consultation on the redevelopment of Mead Street was held in June. The first consultation in January agreed the principles of development – see Mead Street guiding principles.
Whilst the Society supports the principle of the redevelopment of this central brownfield site and agrees with the green aspects of the proposals and the suitability of the site for employment, it is concerned about the design, height and liveability of the buildings and the impact they will have on the surrounding area and beyond. The brief will provide some useful guidance to ensure the area is well-planned, but we fear that it will not provide adequate protection against overdevelopment.
The Society is making more detailed comments as the pre-apps for various sites in this area come through.
We expressed our disappointment that the displays at the public consultation events, and the summary and survey documents which were available to those attending, provided so little information on height, scale and massing. These are primary concerns for many local people and the consultation should have made clear that the potential provision of 1500 new homes and spaces for 500 jobs on this site will require high-density buildings, including some of heights that will block views from across the city to the iconic Totterdown escarpment.
Kerry Chester
