High drama ‘Plan’ for tallest building mauled by society
PLANS for what would be the tallest building in Bristol’s history have been proposed – and have already met opposition from the city’s Civic Society.
Developers had already outlined a proposal to build a 25-storey tower block on top of the council’s new green heating station next to the Floating Harbour at Castle Park.
But now, new plans have been mooted to increase the size of that tower block to 33 storeys – which would smash the record height for a building in the city.
The council’s housebuilding company Goram Homes owns the heat pump station that has been completed this year on the old council depot between the Floating Harbour and the new Castle Park View building that now towers over the city centre.
Earlier this year, Goram announced it wanted to build a block of flats over the heat pump station and said it had chosen the winning design in a competition held with some of the city’s designers and architects.
It now appears that those plans have changed, and while Goram Homes said the final height of the building had not been confirmed, the council’s development company did not deny the Civic Society’s claim that the height had increased to 33 storeys.
In March, it was reported that a collaboration between Groupwork and McGregor Coxall had won a competition, run by Goram Homes and the Bristol Housing Festival, to design a new tower block at Castle Park.
Their winning plan was for a 25-storey residential tower block on the site next to Castle Park, and Goram announced this would now go through the planning process. In August, the site was listed on Rightmove by Goram Homes and the site and development opportunity was
The society objects very strongly to this development proposal... The proposal is the latest, and by far the worst, in what seems a tidal wave of tall buildings that are unsympathetic to local character
Simon Birch, Bristol Civic Society
described as a ‘26-storey tower block’.
But yesterday Bristol Civic Society – one of the ‘stakeholders’ consulted on the original plans – issued a statement condemning a change in the plans it has been shown, which feature a 33-storey tower block instead.
At present, the tallest building in Bristol is still St Mary Redcliffe Church, with its 292ft-high spire (inset below). There are claims the 26-storey Castle Park View, which was completed this year, is potentially taller, depending on where the split-level base is measured from.
Castle Park View is definitely the tallest occupied building in Bristol, but a 33-storey tower block nextdoor would almost certainly be taller.
The Civic Society said the new plans it had seen were “an assault” on Bristol. The society’s chair, Simon Birch, said: “The society objects very strongly to this development proposal. The society is adamant that tall buildings are not essential to meeting the housing crisis in Bristol. They are only one of several ways of increasing building densities. We object to the principle of this development.
“The proposal is the latest, and by far the worst, in what seems a tidal wave of tall buildings that are unsympathetic to local character.”
The details of the change from March’s 25-storey building proposal and the 33-storey tower block planned now are unclear – Goram Homes’ website still shows the same plans as those revealed in March, and the council-owned company said it was still undecided.
“Our plans for Castle Park form part of our mission to build much-needed housing in the city, creating sustainable, vibrant communities and contributing to the local economy,” a spokesperson for Goram Homes said.
“We haven’t applied for planning permission yet, therefore it’s too early to make any final decisions about the height of the building. We always welcome conversations on this topic.”