Objections Plans to develop eyesore are delayed again
APROJECT to finally build on what was one of Bristol’s most famous eyesore sites has been delayed again, because local residents are objecting to the plans.
Developers from a company called THAT Group had hoped to start work constructing a large new building on the site of what used to be a row of shops on Clifton Down Road, in the heart of Clifton Village, next month.
Council chiefs finally gave planning permission as long ago as 2020 to demolish the row of shops, which was the home for WHSmith for decades, but there are now further delays on the plans to finally see a new development on the site. THAT Group have been trying to develop the site for years.
Back in 2018, they unveiled the latest designs for a building to replace the WHSmith eyesore, and eventually won planning permission in 2020 for offices, shops and a cafe or restaurant to be built there. But last year and again at the start of 2023, THAT Group has asked the council if it can tweak the plans to include a gym or fitness studio as well, and slightly modify what the entrance to the restaurant would look like.
But because that requires a formal variation of the planning permission from 2020, it has to go through Bristol City Council’s planning process – which is suffering from long delays in applications being dealt with. The latest change to the planning application was posted by the council in January 2023, and many of the local residents who objected to the original plans have objected again, which now necessitates a full report from council planning officers.
The old WHSmith site was empty by the early 2010s and the last time the site was used was as a temporary ice rink back at Christmas 2014. For years afterwards, the ‘Clifton on Ice’ sign remained above the stricken building, until it was finally demolished at the start of 2021.
THAT Group’s original plans for the building attracted a large amount of controversy in 2019 and 2020. Opponents of the scheme included Historic England, the Civic Society, the Conservation Advisory Panel, the Clifton and Hotwells Improvement Society, and the Mall Garden’s Residents Association. Chief executive of THAT Group, Peter Tisdale, told the planning committee he regretted so many of the neighbours objected, but the application had been “painstakingly put together”.
Opponents variously branded the design “inappropriate”, “insensitive” and “overbearing” and likened it to a “battleship” or “mausoleum”. Some said it would block the daylight for neighbours on King’s Road while others said the plan to host big chain stores, such as Marks and Spencer, would threaten the livelihood of independent shops in Clifton.
But local councillor Paula O’Rourke backed the scheme, saying it was necessary to breathe new life into the site and would benefit Clifton Village as a whole.
A spokesperson for THAT Group said: “We’re still working with Bristol City Council to resolve some minor amendments to the proposed design which was consented in April 2020.
“This is taking longer than anticipated, which we appreciate is frustrating for local residents, but when the planning conditions are resolved we will be able to confirm next steps.”