Locals object to development plans for historic site

Residents in one part of Bristol are objecting to plans for a former garden centre and nursery that has been disused for years.

The Nurserymen Florists site in Shirehampton’s conservation area is made up of a period villa and a series of green houses.

The property on Station Road belonged to a local family for generations, and although the florists closed in the seventies, the green houses were still in use until it was eventually sold for around £1m in early 2021.

Now Stokes Morgan Planning has earmarked the site for development on behalf of its owners, who are named as ‘Shirehampton Land’ in the planning application. The plans set out to redevelop the land into 18 houses and three apartments.

The former Nurserymen Florists site in Shirehampton has been wrecked by vandals – photo: Ella Calland

Though local people recognise a need for development, not all of them are happy with the plans for the site.

Sharon Davies, who grew up near the Nurserymen Florists, says it is now an eyesore which is spoiling the area.

She said: “I think it’s really sad that the site has never been well-secured.

“The cottage is in such a bad state of repair now that I’m not sure that it will ever be restored.

“The new owners ripped out hedgerows and trees with preservation orders on them leaving the site wide open to vandalism.”

The proposed development has received more than thirty objections since it was submitted, mostly from neighbours who believe the design to be overcrowded, out of place and obstructive.

The site in a conservation zone has been earmarked for housing – photo: Lawrence Blackwell

Plans for the site promise to refurbish the period villa – one of the oldest buildings in Shirehampton – but some locals aren’t convinced that the developers can be trusted.

In their objection, one resident echoes Sharon’s concerns about the removal of protected trees from the site.

They write: “After the flagrant disregard for planning, wildlife and the existing environment when the area was cleared earlier this year, we have serious doubts and misgivings that any of the proposal can be trusted, and on these grounds object to all plans.”

Objectors have also raised concerns about the levels of affordable housing that the scheme will offer, but developers say it will be in line with the council’s affordable housing policy.

The initial planning application has been amended to make the proposals more in keeping with the surrounding period buildings, but some locals are still not onside with the scale and style of the plans.

Some locals are still not on board with the revised drawings for the site – photo: Stokes Morgan Planning

Don Alexander, councillor for the Avonmouth and Lawrence Weston ward, which covers Shirehampton, added: “No planning application is perfect but the current situation is also very challenging indeed with regular vandalism of the poorly protected site and this cannot be allowed to continue.

“Residents were also greatly upset by the insensitive clearance of the site, something which is still being investigated by planning enforcement officers.

“The planning process is ongoing and Shirehampton needs more housing so I hope that everyone will work together to produce the best possible design and I especially hope that the developer will provide the required amount of affordable housing as part of the scheme.”

Bristol24/7 was unable to get hold of the owners of the former Nurserymen Florists site, who have an agent, Stokes Morgan Planning, representing them.

When asked to comment on the concerns surrounding the site, Kit Stokes, director of Stokes Morgan Planning, said: “We are working with Bristol City Council to develop a scheme that addresses the Local Plan requirements.”

This is not the first attempt at development on The Nurserymen Florist site: Churchill Retirement Living had two planning applications rejected in 2017 and 2018. There was even a withdrawn application in 1998 which proposed the erection of a retail store.

Ella Calland is reporting on Shirehampton as part of Bristol24/7’s community reporter scheme, a project which aims to tell stories from areas of Bristol traditionally under-served by the mainstream media

Main photo: Ella Calland

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