Pie Poudre

• Policy BCS 2 of the emerging Core Strategy says

• and policy BCS 8 says

• and

 11/01328/R | Renewal of an extant planning permission (05/02065/F) – Refurbishment, change of use and new two storey roof extensions to former Post Office Sorting Depot buildings to provide a mixed use development within two buildings (A and B) comprising ground floor commercial use (A1, A2, A3, A4, A5, B1, D1 or D2) with residential units (total 107) and office/studio space (B1) above. Part refurbishment and part erection of a single storey building fronting the Floating Harbour (Building C) to provide B1 studio/office space. | Former Post Office Sorting Depot Cattle Market Road Bristol BS1 1BX

This reply is on behalf of Old Market Community Association. We discussed the proposal and our view on this application is neutral.

We think it is worth, now that this area has been declared an Enterprise Zone, that the planners reconsider the following points.

• How this application fits into possible future planning applications for the area and a very different situation since previous planning consent.
• How the transport/access will be managed with such a large development within an area with quite limited roadways, and how local residents will access the proposed retail units.
• How the community in St Philips can benefit from the scheme and the overall objectives in the area, which are being redefined by the Core Strategy and the Central Area Action Plan.
• Opportunities to improve the scheme and enhance the benefits of a redevelopment awaited for too long.

http://planningonline.bristol.gov.uk/online-applications/caseDetails.do?action=dispatch&keyVal=LJYDICDN00J00&caseType=Application

Planning reference 11/01630/F

Conversion of existing building into 7 no. self-contained flats, with construction of a further storey. | 9-11 Horton Street Bristol BS2 0LA

This reply is on behalf of Old Market Community Association. We discussed the proposal and these are our comments submitted to the planning officer.

• The planning history for this site goes back to 2006. This is the fifth application. All the applications have been of a very poor standard and do nothing to improve this sorry corner. A comprehensive scheme is required (including the land to the north and the land up to the back of the pavement) for the whole site which addresses all the points set out in our comments below. If the applicant persists in only looking at conversion of the existing building this should be to convert it into fewer units – say 2 no. 3-bedroom houses on lower and upper ground floors with a 3-bedroom flat on the first floor and 2-bedroom flat on the top floor, plus 4 parking spaces and bicycle and bin stores.
• As suggested in our comments to the previous planning application for this site, we think that a good use of its ground floor would be as a convenience store. This could benefit the school, the nearby business districts, the Dings and create a safe point for cyclist using the Bristol/Bath Railway path.
• This was a functioning workspace (monumental masons) until fairly recently. We are losing so much working space within the area, and we think that another possible use could be as studio/workspaces for creative start-up businesses (please read below about loss of employement).

Spatial context, and transport

• The assertion in the submitted Design & Access Statement that the site is located in a very sustainable position is clearly wrong; there are limited grocery shopping opportunities in the near vicinity, the main bus stops in Old Market are more than 400 m walking distance and the nearest supermarket is much further away along a route without residential areas.
• The application needs to indicate proposals for the area to the north of the site that is included in the scheme that currently has planning permission (application number 08/00929/F) and also for the area between the site and adopted highway (back of pavement) on Horton Street and Jubilee Street.
• New residents moving into the flats will soon find the noise coming from nearby activities (scrapyard) very disturbing and it will generate work and contentious discussions in the neighbourhood.

Reuse of the building

• Although the re-use of a building of character is laudable there are concerns about how this will look in reality with so many alterations proposed to the fenestration (nine new openings and 3 blocked up openings) and with an incongruous timber clad structure on the roof. In addition the state of the building has deteriorated considerably and the stonework is now full of holes and adorned with graffiti, it will be very difficult to achieve a harmonious solution

Conversion into flats and negative effects on retail sectors and local community

• The mix of dwellings proposed makes no provision for family units which the scheme that currently has planning permission (application number 08/00929/F) does (2 no. 3-bedroom and 2 no. 4-bedroom units). Old Market Community Association would wish to see provision of family housing, as highlighted in the Easton and Lawrence Hill Housing Requirements Study (2007). The location of this site, next to Hannah More School, would suggest it was an excellent location for 3 and 4 bed units – preferably houses.
• The proposal is for seven small units: 4 no. 2-bedroom 3-person flats and 3 no. 1-bedroom 2-person flats. All but one of these units is significantly smaller than would be expected and indeed that included in recently built schemes in the locality. There are striking deficiencies in the plans, e.g. ridiculously sized kitchens (2.3 x 1.5 m), double bedrooms that are too narrow (2.4 – 2.5 m wide) and living rooms that are too narrow (2.6 m wide). Realistically the accommodation should be described and drawn as 1 no. 2-bedroom/3 person flat, 3 no. 1-bedroom/2-person flats and 3 no. 1-person bedsits.
• In principle Old Market Community Association is in favour to the increase of residential space in the area but continues to be extremely concerned about the proliferation of small flats in the neighbourhood, many of which remain unsold/unoccupied. We would consider as more positive the creation of larger residential units for families.
• The proportion of one/two bedroom flats contravenes also the Core Strategy aim for ‘mixed, balanced and sustainable communities’. Hannah More School is the perfect example because is becoming a secluded schools for families from ethnic minorities living in St Jude’s and Easton, due to lack of families in the area from other ethnic groups.
• There are many homes in multiple occupancy within the area, a high number of which are converted retail buildings. We believe that the over-emphasis of residential space to commercial/retail space within many of the conversions has led to a spate of unlettable retail units due to their small size.
• Small flats mainly attract people using the area as a dormitory or transitory residency and who are not interested in using local shops, services and schools.

Loss of employment

• Policy BCS 2 of the emerging Core Strategy says

“Facilities and services, including those of a small scale, which contribute to the diversity and vitality of the city centre will be encouraged and retained.”

• and policy BCS 8 says

“Employment land … will be retained where it makes a valuable contribution to the economy and employment opportunities”

• and

“Employment land provides continued enterprise and employment opportunities across the city, especially for business start-ups and in those parts of Bristol experiencing persistently high levels of socio-economic deprivation.”

Parking , on site facilities

• Parking provision is considered inadequate – there should be a 1:1 parking ratio as suggested by the Council’s Traffic Management Team in their comments contained in the delegated report in the recently refused scheme and the applicants should be asked to submit swept path drawings to demonstrate that easy manoeuvring is possible in the car park.
• Cycle storage – The cycle store is the same as shown on the recently refused scheme in spite of the Council’s Traffic Management Team’s comments made in the delegated report.
• Refuse storage – The applicants proposed refuse store is impractical; each compartment has a wheelie bin with a shelf above for the recyclables box. It would be impossible to open the lid of the wheelie bin as the shelf above is far too close to it and it would be impossible to put anything in the recyclables box on the shelf as the roof of the refuse store is too close to the top of the box.

We have responded to Bristol City Council consultation about the following planning application:

Planning reference 11/01448/A

http://planningonline.bristol.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=summary&keyVal=LJC09HDN00O00

This reply is on behalf of Old Market Community Association. Our Committee and Planning group have unanimously voted for objecting to the installation of Lamp post flags displaying various adverts in several locations along Old Market Conservation Area because the adverts are completely unsuitable to its dignity and character.

We have taken in consideration also positions of compromise (i.e. revenue from the advertising coming back to the community) but these are all been rejected by our members.

Comments during the discussion:

Health & Safety – Street Scene – Conservation Area

• Old Market has already been identified as a pedestrian traffic accident risk. Any more visual confusion from items such as banners attached to lamposts would limit the pedestrian sightlines through the main road. With the high volume of traffic flow through the main road it is imperative that any impediments to clear views are avoided
• This extensive row of adverts, would completely change the look of the Old Market Conservation area, forever. Once installed, and generating income, it is unlikely that the council will ever agree to remove them. At the same time, once installed the street scene would change forever. Taking a photo looking down old market, and pencilling over it banners on every lampost, it completely detracts from the overall.
• The application documents do not appear to demonstrate conservation and heritage have been properly considered.
• The ads would not be accepted in conservation areas considered more ‘well to do’, so they shouldn’t be accepted in Old Market.
• Our monuments, listed building and unlisted buildings of merit deserve better signage (currently missing) which would be clearly incompatible with the adverts.

Businesses

• This planning application would give to companies advertising their products an unfair advantage on local traders, who are subjected to much stricter rules for displaying and selling their products and on their business signage.

Residents

• Residents don’t want to look out of their windows to see a line of adverts, after they have chosen to live in a place with an impressive historic relevance.

We have responded to Bristol City Council consultation about the
following planning application:

Planning reference 11/01448/A

http://planningonline.bristol.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=summary&keyVal=LJXYB1DNK8000

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This reply is on behalf of Old Market Community Association. We discussed the proposal and these are our comments.

Guild Heritage, Braggs Lane

We object to the proposed development for the following reasons:

This is a major development

This planning application requires a community involvement statement, because of the size of the development. The local relevance of the building is such that the decision for this planning application will shape how it functions with and for the community. See the Validation Requirements for registering a planning application: a community Involvement Statement is required for all major development NB including mixed applications where e.g. a combination of housing and another use would meet the Major threshold.

Conservation area

The extensions to the building are to be assessed carefully:

· this building is an “Unlisted building of merit” in the Old Market Conservation Area Character Appraisal therefore:

· the schema should be referred to the Conservation Advisory Panel for comments and additionally, as the type of approach proposed by the applicants relies on good building detail, the applicants should be asked to submit large scale construction details prior to any approval being granted. The same applies to the changes proposed to the main entrance.

· “Long views” from St Matthias Park and Braggs Lane, which include the Guild Heritage, contribute relevantly to the Character of the Conservation area;

· The character of the building could benefit more from decisions different from those proposed (different materials for the extensions, as glass, which could avoid the building to be perceived as a solid block, altering its current pleasant shape).

Loss of Office space and change of use

We think that the property has not been suitably marketed, in accordance with the Bristol City Council Marketing Guidelines, and we could not find it in the West of England on-line Property Database. In fact we have been contacted by several businesses looking for space and nobody was aware of the availability of the Guild Heritage building. Over the past few months several businesses have voiced their interest in the idea of relocating to Old Market, due to its proximity with Temple Meads and the City Centre.

Since there is already an abundance of empty office space available to let in Bristol, we believe that the unique character of this building and its potential as a commercial workplace would make it far more lettable than many others on the market.

Even if the analysis presented by the developer is correct, implying that the number (58) of workspaces/jobs will be retained in the office space, it is unlikely that a loss of nearly half of the floorspace will provide the same level of quality. The loss of over a third of existing B1 floor space is regretted, a smaller reduction would be acceptable and as such the whole of the ground floor should be retained for office use. This would also remove the objection to the ground floor flats having a very poor relationship with the ground levels outside their windows (see below).

Potential for the building

We believe that the Guild Heritage building possesses a typology of space which is not available anywhere else in Old Market, and which is strongly needed by the community. We need space for entrepreneurs and not just generic “office” space. The current use classification is B1, defined as ‘offices, research and development of products and processes and light industry appropriate to a residential use’, so the class effectively covers space for entrepreneurs and start-up businesses – the applicant could benefit by fully embracing such a concept.

Policy BCS 2 of the emerging Core Strategy says

Facilities and services, including those of a small scale, which contribute to the diversity and vitality of the city centre will be encouraged and retained.

and policy BCS 8 says

“Employment land … will be retained where it makes a valuable contribution to the economy and employment opportunities”

and

“Employment land provides continued enterprise and employment opportunities across the city, especially for business start-ups and in those parts of Bristol experiencing persistently high levels of socio-economic deprivation.”

We think that the building could offer sought after live/work space for start-up businesses which require more than just office space. We would wholly support a design which promoted the tenancy of vibrant, active businesses that would be a positive influence upon the Old Market area.

Old Market is also very close to the main cycle paths in Bristol, and the building could be easily adapted to be a cycle-friendly workspace with good parking facilities, showers, etc. This provision is very scarce in Bristol, notwithstanding its cycling city commitment.

Conversion to residential flats

In principle we are in favour to the increase of residential space in the area but we think there is an overabundance of small flats and a complete lack of family homes. This contravenes the Core Strategy aim for ‘mixed, balanced and sustainable communities’.

The proposal’s eight flats are small and they would mainly attract people interested in using the area as a dormitory or transitory residency. The rear boundary is next to an existing night club and we believe that the raised light weight first floor extensions that house some of the flats would be adversely affected by the late night activity from behind.

The one small flat, in the west wing extension, (1F.F3) only has a rooflight in the ceiling of the bedroom as does its neighbour (1F.F4). These two flats could be combined to form one larger flat around a courtyard and eliminate the rooms which only have rooflights in the ceiling. The two ground floor flats proposed in the existing east wing ground floor have their floor level well below the ground level in the lane outside their window and as such passers-by will be able to look directly into the flat and the outlook from the flats will be abysmal – the area of these two flats (GF.F1 and GF.F2) should be left as B1 use.

There are many homes in multiple occupancy within the area, a high number of which are converted retail buildings. We believe that the over-emphasis of residential space to commercial/retail space within many of the conversions has led to a spate of unlettable retail units due to their small size.

The proportion of one/two bedroom flats is in striking conflict with the Council policy of creating mixed and balanced communities: it has a negative effect on the retail sector and local schools as Hannah More which is becoming a secluded schools for families from ethnic minorities living in St Jude’s and Easton.

We would consider as more positive the creation of larger residential units for families, conveniently located within the building to avoid noise problems, or disturbance from the activities in the road and with availability of outdoor space. This could also allow the potential of designing the space to function as a live/work environment mentioned earlier.

Compatibility with other business already active in the area

The block between Braggs Lane, Gloucester Lane and West Street is mainly occupied by noisy businesses, by day and by night: Flamingos, a night-club which is a major attraction in the South West; the Gin Palace, an historic entertainment venue; The Cottage, a venue which is said to be quite noisy. Other activities during the day which require lots of vehicular movement are just next door to the Guild Heritage building.

We think that new residents moving into the flats will soon find it very disturbing and it will generate work and contentious discussions in the neighbourhood.

The flat in the east wing extension is the one that will be most affected by noise from Flamingos – it has a bedroom on the corner closes to the night club. The layout of the flat could be altered so that the living room and kitchen are on the noisy corner, but a night time noise report should be submitted before planning consent.

Parking problems

With eight flats and 440 metres of office space there are only 8 spaces available. This will add pressure to the already limited parking available in the area.

It would be possible to get two more parking spaces onto the site if the cycle and refuse stores were all within the building footprint where they would be more convenient for the users of the building. The cycle and refuse stores for both residential and commercial elements could be sited in the north-east corner of the building making use of an existing external door onto the lane. Shower and locker facilities for cyclists could also be incorporated here.

Assumptions

The planning application statement is full of “assumptions” about future planning applications in nearby sites. Our community thinks that planning decisions in the area have not been very successful in shaping our community, and we are willing if necessary to challenge future planning decisions. So, in the planning application statement, all assumptions or referral to expired planning approvals should be ignored.

• Community Involvement and pre-planning application for Hannah More School
  http://oldmarket.org.uk/2011/05/development-of-hannah-more-school/
• Lamp post advertising
  http://planningonline.bristol.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=summary&keyVal=LJC09HDN00O00
• 8-10 Horton Street
  http://planningonline.bristol.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=summary&keyVal=LJYDICDN00J00
• 82-84 West Street
  http://planningonline.bristol.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=summary&keyVal=LK0417DNK8000
• Guild Hall, Braggs Lane
  http://planningonline.bristol.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=summary&keyVal=LJXYB1DNK8000