Homes Block of seven flats set to replace bungalow

ATHREE-STOREY apartment block with off-street parking for just one car is set to replace an old bungalow in Lockleaze.

A committee of Bristol councillors approved the development after deciding local residents’ concerns about parking were unfounded.

The seven-unit block, containing 14 bedrooms, will be built where the post-war bungalow sits on Bridge Walk opposite the junction with Melton Crescent.

The only off-street parking space will belong to the biggest unit, with three bedrooms.

There is bicycle storage available but other residents with cars will have to park on the street, which community members say will worsen parking problems in the area.

Bristol City Council officers argued the site had “adequate parking” as it lies close to the centre and public transport links.

But Labour councillors for Lockleaze Gill Kirk and Estella Tincknell urged planning committee members to listen to neighbourhood concerns.

“A worst case scenario could mean up to 17 or 18 new cars,” they said in a written statement sent to the commit- tee before the planning meeting.

“With only one off road space this could create serious parking pressures in this and nearby streets.

“Therefore we continue to have concerns that this development constitutes an overdevelopment of this street and object to the application.”

Ms Kirk and Ticknell noted that residents also objected to the modern design and size of the building, saying it was out of keeping with other houses in the area and would overlook existing gardens, block light, and compromise motorists’ visibility at the corner.

Officers conceded it was a “Marmite” design, and certainly councillors seemed to either love it or hate it, describing it as variously as “ugly” or “striking”.

Similarly, committee members disagreed over whether there was sufficient off-street parking, but they voted to approve the application by a majority of seven to three.

The developer, which must pay a community infrastructure levy of £29,661 to the council, said it was “a genuine opportunity to create good sized apartments in a sustainable urban location”.

The building comes with rubbish storage, solar panels and a communal garden.

It was approved on November 28.