Uni library gets go-ahead after shock U-turn
THE University of Bristol has been given the green light to build its flagship new library and a public plaza in Clifton in a surprise U-turn by city planners.
Councillors had intended to reject the proposal against official advice, having delayed their decision so officers could suggest reasons that would withstand a possible appeal.
But when they met again on Wednesday, the planning committee voted by 6-4 to approve the £80 million development, having heard from officers about the risks to the city council if they refused it.
University deputy vice chancellor Judith Squires said the seven-storey library, which will replace The Hawthorns on the corner of Woodland Road, would become a “landmark cultural destination” for Bristol.
A new civic square with a cycle track, created by shutting part of Woodland Road and making a section of St Michael’s Park one-way, will make the surrounding streets “safer”, Ms Squires added.
But Jaideep Barot, head of Bristol Grammar School on nearby Elton Road, told members the school remained “strongly opposed” to the application.
Mr Barot said the large library would “dominate” the school’s great hall and other historic buildings in the area, and the road closures would jeopardise the safety of school children by increasing traffic in the surrounding streets.
The university’s proposal also includes plans for two raised pedestrian crossings in Elton Road and a “bus hub” in Tyndall Avenue.
When they first considered the application in February, councillors agreed they were “minded to refuse” it because of concerns over the design, pupils’ road safety and the impact on the surrounding conservation area.
But because officers had recommended approval, they were obliged by council policy to wait for official advice on a refusal and the risks to the council before making their decision.
After the three-week “cooling off ” period, officers advised the planning committee that if they rejected the application, they should cite the building design and the harm it would do to the historic setting.
But they should drop the road safety concern as data and analysis showed there were no “unacceptable” transport and highway issues, officers said. The council’s development manager, Gary Collins, said the first reason would stand a “reasonable” chance of seeing off a possible appeal by the university.
The road safety reason, however, would likely be seen as “unreasonable” by a planning inspector, meaning the council could lose an appeal and be forced to pay costs.
Four of the committee voted against the application, calling the brutalist design of the library “ugly, overbearing and intrusive” and likening it to a “spaceship”.
But six voted in favour of approval, noting the library had a “Marmite” design but would bring “enormous community benefits”.
Cllr Don Alexander said he thought the design was the most “exciting thing” he had seen in five years as a member of the planning committee.
“It’s certainly imposing but it’s imposing for all the right reasons,” he said. “It will, if it is built, be a landmark building that the city can be proud of.”
The university hopes to open the new library in 2026.
It will house around 2,000 new study seats and about 420,000 books and 70,000 journals, according to a statement released by the university after the planning meeting.
The ground floor will be open to the public, with access to exhibition galleries, events spaces, a programme of new public art commissions and a cafe.
The public will also have access to internationally important collections that are currently hidden in nonpublic buildings.
Ms Squires said: “The new university library will provide world-class, state-of-the-art library facilities for our staff, students and visitors.
“It will support the learning of generations of future students and cutting-edge research into our most significant societal challenges.”