Factory to be torn down to make way for riverside flats

A factory along the banks of the River Avon will be knocked down to make way for five blocks of flats.

Plans to build 68 homes in Blackswarth Road, in the St George area of Bristol, have been approved by Bristol City Council.

The development will be made up of three and four-storeys blocks of one and two-bedroom homes. It will have parking for 44 vehicles.

Under the proposals, traffic-calming measures will be introduced in Blackswarth Road and the river's tow path will be widened from 8ft (2.5m) to 13ft (4m).

The factory, which produces concrete, is based in the Avon Valley Conservation Area and a 'high risk' coal mining area, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

It is also in the highest possible risk category for flooding, which prompted the Environment Agency to object to the plans.

Despite this, councillors voted to grant planning permission to Woodstock Homes during a meeting of its development control B committee on 29 January.

Planning officers said details of flood defences would be to be negotiated before permission will actually be given.

The developer initially wanted to build 85 homes but reduced its plans to 68 properties due to road safety concerns and to reduce the height of the tallest buildings from six storeys to four.

Kit Stokes, a planning agent representing Woodstock Homes, said: "We've been pushed hard and delivered on some key changes. I don't feel the design of the scheme has been quick, but it's been very thorough."

None of the homes in the development are set to be "affordable" because a viability assessment found Woodstock Homes would not make enough profit if it sold any of the flats as "affordable" housing.

Councillor Rob Bryher said while there were "some drawbacks", the development was good "on the whole".

He added: "The gentle density we like to see is present, and they have drastically changed the designs since the initial proposals for the better.

"They have put in a safer crossing as part of the agreement. I do think some of the benefits that come from this scheme are definitely going to be popular in the local area.

"Despite a number of residents objecting to the height of the buildings, they fit with the principles we need for good development in the city."

Councillor Fabian Breckels added: "We need the housing [and] we're potentially going to get some new flood defences in the area.

"That bit of Bristol isn't linked to much in the way of public transport, which would explain slightly more car parking than you would expect elsewhere."

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