Project Summary

• Large residential development working with existing listed historical fabric
• Associated car parking, landscaping and retail units
• Two assessments by the Urban Design Forum
• Given the expensive heritage works, no affordable housing was provided

Development Description

The brief was to restore the listed buildings within a courtyard setting and to provide a new build element to the development to the rear of the main hospital buildings. Careful consideration of the listed buildings needed to be accounted. A bold centrepiece building at the corner of the site was proposed to juxtaposition, the traditional form of the listed buildings. The proposals comprised 280 dwellings with a mix of sizes as well as retail and commercial units and underground car parking. The scheme incorporated commercial and retail units at ground floor level opposite Bathurst Basin. Hard landscaping was incorporated into the scheme along with critical heritage enhancements.

Planning Process

A number of exhibitions were undertaken to showcase the design as it evolved and to garner local knowledge and views on the emerging plans. The scheme was taken to the Urban Design Forum on two occasions for discussion before being formally submitted to Bristol City Council. The key consideration in the planning process was the level of affordable housing and viability. The scheme negotiated zero affordable housing on site given the major costs in bringing these listed buildings back into use.