Plea to stop chocolate factory demolition

Now derelict and boarded up, the once thriving Elizabeth Shaw chocolate factory in Greenbank was the centre of community life in east Bristol. 

However, a campaign to save all of the Victorian buildings and retain the “historical and industrial heritage” of the site now looks to be over, after Bristol City Council gave permission earlier this week for part of the site to be razed to the ground.

Campaigners say they are objecting to the owners of the site being given permission to demolish some of the buildings, before they have obtained planning permission for re-development.

At a demonstration on Wednesday outside the former factory, Easton’s Green Party candidate Anna McMullen, also member of Greenbank Chocolate Factory community group, said that she wanted to see the best possible development in a sustainable way on the site.

She believes the application to demolish the buildings was pushed through before finishing the proper consultation process with the community.

“It’s really important for us who have to live with  the consequences of this development for decades to come, that the right agreement is made,” she said.

Daryl Champion did not have far to come to the demonstration. He lives opposite, has been actively involved in the campaign to save it for the past three years and is concerned that the heritage of east Bristol is being destroyed.

He said: “These building are important for Bristol, these are the only buildings left from the era (of chocolate manufacture in Bristol) and they represent that entire history of Bristol.”

Daryl believes that the buildings have played a very important role in the culture of the area and if they are developed they have “the potential to be a dynamic centre for the whole of East Bristol and everyone would like to see more than a glorified housing estate”.

Seeing the demise of the buildings has been particularly sad for Michael Fletcher, who has lived round the corner in Carlyle Road for the past 25 years.

“It’s a great shame,” he said. “We used to get lots of lovely smells of chocolate coming over the house… It’s part of our heritage – most of the streets round here are named after the chocolate factory.”

He agrees with Daryl that, developed sensitively, the factory could become once again the hub of the east Bristol community.

“It would be nice if it was a mix of houses, workshops because we have a big local artist community in the area, a cafe serving the cycle path – an nice amenity for the whole community”.

The whole site on Cooperation Road has been acquired by developers Generator South West (GSW). They say they are planning what the community wants – new homes, cafe, community orchard and workshops, but part of the site has to be demolished because it is contaminated with asbestos.

In an earlier statement they said “mixed use development of new build and part refurbishment is the key to bringing forward a viable proposal and one which seeks to best realise the aspirations of the local community”.

The company said it applied “for partial demolition and asbestos re-mediation to the dilapidated buildings” which will “minimise any health hazard and damage to neighbouring homes from asbestos, falling debris and subsidence of the existing unsound structures”.

“Whilst partial demolition is necessary, GSW is pleased to have formulated a redevelopment proposal which includes the retention of prominent buildings on-site, including the main factory building dating back to 1910, the iconic former Elizabeth Shaw offices on the corner of Turley Road and an element of the Victorian-era shed buildings fronting Cooperation Road.”

A Bristol City Council spokesperson said: “Developers do not usually need planning permission to carry out demolition.  Although such works are known as ‘permitted development’, in this instance, due to the scale of the buildings involved, the developer was required to notify the Local Planning Authority (LPA) regarding the proposed methods of demolition and restoration. This enables the LPA to determine whether prior approval is required before demolition commences in order to ensure health and safety and other requirements are met.

“We have received a substantial number of objections to these plans but because the buildings are not listed or situated in a conservation area we are unable to refuse an application purely on this basis. The application has therefore been granted.

“We respect our residents’ right to peaceful protest but are unable to take any further action at this time.”