News / Hamilton House
What next for future of Hamilton House?
The owners of Hamilton House have said they are reviewing their options and won’t be making any hasty decisions in the wake of an appeal decision.
A long drawn out saga over the future of the vast community building in Stokes Croft culminated in a hearing last December after Bristol City Council – and subsequently the Planning Inspectorate – blocked applications to convert sections of the property into flats.
The latest appeal decision rested on the disputed question of whether certain areas of Hamilton House were classified as being ‘office use’ and could therefore be converted into residential accommodation under permitted development rules.
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Of the seven appeals lodged by owners Connolly & Callaghan (C&C), the Planning Inspectorate has upheld four, concluding “it has been reasonably demonstrated that the planning unit was in office use on the key date”.
The other three appeals have been dismissed as the inspector found the evidence submitted failed to “clearly establish without ambiguity that the units were solely in office use” on the key date.
People turned out to protest the possible loss of a community hub when development plans first came to the fore in 2017 – photo by Ellie Pipe
Responding to the question of where this leaves the future of the building, C&C told Bristol24/7 they won’t be making any decisive moves yet.
“The planning appeal decisions have clarified some legal aspects for both us and the local authority,” said a spokesperson.
“Of particular significance for us is the confirmation of our entitlement to convert some parts of Hamilton House into homes, for which there is a desperate need in Bristol.
“We are currently reviewing all our options, while we wait with cautious optimism for the economy to begin to recover from the effects of the pandemic.
“Until there is more clarity about when and how restrictions are going to ease, and what the ‘new normal’ will look like post-pandemic, this is not the time to be rushing into any quick decisions.”
Concerns have already been raised about the cost to taxpayers of the multiple appeals, with the council having to defend each refusal to the Planning Inspectorate.
C&C want to turn sections of blocks B and C into flats – image taken from display boards by Origin3 Studio architects
In his conclusion, planning inspector David Murray said: “I have found that on the key date Hamilton House comprised an amalgam of independent and self-contained planning units and there was not a mixed use covering the whole building.
“In four of the appeal cases it has been reasonably demonstrated that the planning unit was in office use on the key date and I will allow these appeals.
“In three of the cases, the evidence, considered as a whole, does not clearly establish without ambiguity that the units were solely in class B1(a) office use, using the ordinary meaning of the word, on the key date, and I will dismiss these appeals.
“Many letters of objection were submitted from local people, particularly at application stage, about the loss of a valued community facility, but this is not a planning issue that can be considered in prior approval applications of this type.”
Read more: Further uncertainty hangs over future of Hamilton House
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