Broadwalk Shopping Centre redevelopment plans for 850 homes refused

Controversial plans to demolish Broadwalk Shopping Centre in Knowle and build up to 850 homes have been refused unanimously by Bristol city councillors. Planning committee members voted 9-0 against officers’ recommendation to grant permission amid concerns about a lack of affordable housing, the height of the buildings as tall as 12 storeys and that too many flats would be crammed onto the site.

Councillors said it was like “trying to squeeze a quart into a pint pot” and branded the idea that the development, known as Redcatch Quarter, was a new village as “an insult to villages across the land”. One resident said it would be an “ongoing visual and social disaster planned right in the heart of Knowle”.

The proposals, which have divided the community, involved bulldozing all the buildings on site, including the snooker hall, bingo hall, multi-storey car park and shops. They included a cinema/theatre community space, dental surgery and a pedestrianised high street connecting Redcatch Park to Wells Road.

Read more: South Bristol shopping centre demolition and 850 new home development set to be approved

Almost 250 objections were received with concerns such as overshadowing of neighbouring properties and a lack of space at local GP surgeries and schools. The scheme was backed by several other residents and the two Knowle Community ward councillors, as well as the council’s planning officers who said the outline plans were acceptable and that detailed designs would be considered later.

An officer told the development control committee on Wednesday (May 31) that the developer had agreed to increase the number of affordable homes from 55 – seven per cent – to 80, or 9.8 per cent. He said that despite council policy aiming for 30 per cent affordable housing on new developments in this part of Bristol, schemes had to remain financially viable to build, so the figure of less than a third of this meant it was still policy compliant.

Committee members heard the project would have seen a £200million investment in the area, unlocking more than £150million of social and economic value. Cllr Andrew Varney (Lib Dem, Brislington West) told the meeting: “Broadwalk has had its day, it’s not the kind of place people want to go to, it’s a failing shopping centre, pretty much everyone here agrees it needs to be redeveloped.