intelligence PROFESSIONAL EXPERTISE
The sky should be the limit for the city centre
A Bristol property expert has joined calls for more tall buildings to be built in the city centre – and urged political leaders to follow London’s lead. Tim Davies (pictured), head of
the South West and Wales at commercial property agents Colliers International, says building upwards is the only way to meet the needs of Bristol’s growing population. Castlemead is currently the city’s tallest tower block, at 19 storeys, but the planned Redcliffe Tower, the former ambulance station beside Castle Park, and a new Bristol University building in Temple Quarter, could go higher. A tall building is defined as being
at least 30 metres high, or around 10 storeys. Most buildings in central Bristol stand five or six storeys high. Bristol City Council has developed a plan to develop more tall buildings in clusters of the city, to create a new skyline while at the same time protecting its most iconic views. “A minimum of 33,500 more
homes need to be built in Bristol by 2036 and with little spare land
available, the logical step is to build upwards,” Tim Davies said. “We have a complete lack of tall buildings in Bristol and we seem to be taking up more and more land for office buildings in districts which we should be preserving for commercial use.” Tim believes the £1bn transformation of London’s Elephant and Castle should provide the template for Bristol’s city centre development – both in terms of its skyline and in the decisive role in the scheme played by London mayor Sadiq Khan. Mr. Khan has fast-tracked
plans for the redevelopment of
the Elephant and Castle shopping centre, which will feature buildings up to 35 storeys. Tim said: “Elephant and Castle is
a perfect illustration of a development which is going up rather than out – making use of air space rather than land space. “Often it is a case of where
London leads, others follow - and here in Bristol, both our city mayor Marvin Rees and metro mayor Tim Bowles would do well to adopt the same dynamic approach to transforming our skyline.”
Trinity Park
PROPERTY
Planning granted for industrial site
Trinity Park, a new industrial development in Hillmead, Swindon, is set to bring 78,750 sq ft of production / distribution units to the area after planning permission was granted by Swindon Borough Council. Trebor Developments, with partner, Hillwood, have acquired the
site and will soon begin work on the development, with expected completion in Autumn this year. On completion, the space available would suit manufacturing, distribution occupiers, or would potentially be suitable as a headquarters facility. CBRE and WBM Property are the joint agents to dispose of the new units. With Junction 16 of the M4 just three miles to the South West and
the A419 three miles to the North West, Trinity Park is well connected by road. “As a well-established industrial and distribution location, Hillmead
is ideal for a development like this,” said James Drew, Trebor Developments. “The units will be thoughtfully designed and set within a landscaped environment, with ample parking for lorries and cars, and we are already having positive discussions with occupiers.”
The impact of local land supply shortfall
The Land Development Team at the Bruton Knowles head office in Gloucester has released further advice for local landowners and developers regarding the impact that a shortfall in land supply can have on planning for future residential schemes. Paul Barton, Chamber member
and associate at the Bruton Knowles Gloucester office and part of the specialist Land Development Team, said: “The fact that we have a housing shortage, particularly for affordable and sustainable homes, has not been far from the local media agenda, and that is sure to continue into this year and next.
32 insight MARCH/APRIL 2019 “But the focus has shifted to
include more of a discussion about available land supply to meet growing housing requirements – where this land is, who owns it and how do developers and landowners engage with the local authorities tasked with meeting local housing needs. “Local authorities strive to have
a five-year land supply, in accordance with the National Planning Policy Framework, effectively a supply of deliverable sites that can fulfil the housing needs. However, a number of local authorities in the region are falling short of this five-year land supply requirement.”
It is considered that some local authorities in the region could have land supplies below the five- year requirement, including Gloucester (1.9 years), Cheltenham (2.7 years), Swindon (2.7 years) and South Gloucestershire ( 2.8 years). Paul added: “For landowners
and developers this is a strong indication that sites outside of settlement boundaries will continue to be opportunities for residential development. “It’s a complex area and landowners and developers are well advised to seek professional advice from experts able to manage the planning process on their behalf.”
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