News / Church Road
Plans for student flats on former funeral parlour refused on appeal
Plans to demolish a former funeral parlour and build 174 student flats in its place have been refused on appeal.
The Planning Inspectorate concluded the proposed development on Church Road in Redfield would be “incongruous and overbearing” compared to the surrounding landscape and would cause numerous harms, including “suboptimal” living conditions.
Redfield Land Bristol Ltd first unveiled plans to knock down the former Co-op Funeral Parlour and Chapel of Rest to make way for hundreds of student flats in September 2022.
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In May last year, Bristol City Council issued a Building Preservation Notice for the two properties, which have been recognised as non-designated heritage assets, making it illegal for them to be demolished.
Just a fortnight later, a serious fire broke out in the funeral parlour, which dates from 1957 and had been lived in by squatters. This was followed by a second blaze later in the same month.
Plans to demolish a former funeral parlour and build 174 student flats in its place have been refused on appeal -photo: Ellie Pipe
In the decision, published in late November, planning inspector Hollie Nicholls acknowledged the loss of the historic, internal fabric of the building in the fires prevented it from being Grade II-listed but that the building has historic interest nonetheless.
Ultimately, it was a number of “harms” that resulted in the decision to refuse the planning application on appeal.
The decision says: “[The] disconnect between the height of the building and its surrounding counterparts would lead to it appearing incongruous and overbearing.
“Taking the above into account, I conclude that the proposal would be harmful to the character and appearance of the streetscene and surrounding area.”
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Read more: Fire breaks out for second time in a month at former funeral parlour
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Nicholls also said the design of the scheme would “fail to create an adequate quality of living environment for future occupiers”, with transport and parking measures deemed unsuitable to serve such a development.
The inspector noted residents’ concerns about the currently derelict site being a target for antisocial behaviour, but concluded the proposed scheme would “generate different issues for local residents” and is not the only solution that could stop this issue.
The interior of the building on Church Road was mostly destroyed in two fires – photo: Know Your Place
The decision concluded: “The scheme would also cause numerous other harms. It would result in the loss of employment use. It would fail to provide sufficient transport related infrastructure, thus generating prejudicial effects on local highway conditions and the amenity of local residents. Harm would be caused to the character and appearance of the area and to the living conditions of neighbouring occupiers.
“Additionally, the living conditions of future occupiers would be suboptimal in at least one particular regard. The combination of these factors bring the proposal into conflict with the development plan when taken as a whole.”
Main photo: Ellie Pipe
Read next:
- Proposals for up to 250 student flats on Church Road unveiled
- Demolition of former funeral parlour is now illegal
- Inside a former funeral chapel saved (so far) from demolition
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