News / trinity road police station
Plans for flats on police station site approved
Plans have been approved to redevelop a police station in Old Market with 104 new flats opposite a music venue.
The Guinness Partnership now has planning permission to knock down the police station on Trinity Road and build a huge social housing scheme, with a smaller police station below.
Bristol City Council voted to grant permission on Wednesday.
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Concerns about the scheme include the impact on the nearby Trinity Centre, although architects have designed the apartments to be protected from noise.
Councillors on the development control committee voted unanimously to approve the new social housing.
Concerns about the scheme include the impact on the nearby Trinity Centre – photo: First Base
Craig McDonald, from the Guinness Partnership, said: “During the project’s evolution, the scheme has seen continuous improvement which we believe has culminated in a high quality proposal. The site is located close to the Trinity Centre, an important cultural venue for the city.
“We feel we’ve designed a scheme that will protect our residents and the centre from potential noise issues in future. At the centre’s request, we’ve taken further measures recently, including moving bedrooms to the rear of the building.”
Emma Harvey, chief executive of the Trinity Centre, said the flats needed to be properly insulated to prevent any future noise complaints.
She added that many tenants in social housing would be unable to easily move to different accommodation, if they found the flats too noisy with the music venue nearby.
She said: “There is a power imbalance as always with these schemes. Individuals, particularly in social housing complexes, do not necessarily have the power of social mobility to move if they find themselves in inappropriate accommodation once they’re placed there.”
The plans will see the existing Trinity Road Police Station demolished to make way for 104 flats and a smaller station – image: The Guinness Partnership
Richard Eddy, a Tory councillor for Bishopsworth, said: “It seems to me this is a win-win situation, a brownfield site right near the city centre, 100 per cent affordable housing.
“It’s car-free and a sustainable location. And we’ve been assured that the noise issue shouldn’t be a threat to the [Trinity Centre].”
Alex Seabrook is a local democracy reporter for Bristol
Main image: The Guinness Partnership
Read more: New plans for 104 affordable homes on site of Trinity Road Police Station
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