Kingsdown Conservation Group

A week of events celebrating hope, creativity and community @ the Ark, Cotham Road South

As part of this week, co-run by St Matthew’s and BCF, there will be a community art exhibition in the ‘Ark’ building that will be open from 10-5pm every day.

If you are an artist, or are involved with a community art project, and would like to exhibit work that expresses something of the themes of the week, then please contact Vicky Wright or Ruth Price for further details.

Vicky Wright - vicky.wright@bristol.anglican.org
Ruth Price - pricepure@googlemail.com

The former garden would be just right for a modest new terrace to join up the old and the new ones on either side. Instead, this is what the hospital authorities want to build there:

Their Planning Application claims that the building ‘presents a unified facade to the road without being monolithic‘. It talks of ‘a bold, dramatic gesture at roof level‘ and ‘an eye-catching attractive element in the roofscape‘ They say that this new block of flats ‘echoes the wall opposite, creating an area of visual compression – a gateway…‘ and ‘will reinstate the street frontage and residential fabric‘. They also claim that ‘members of the local community have been involved with the design from the outset’ and ‘the site is not within the Conservation Area’. Both claims are wrong.

Kingsdown Conservation Group were emphatically not involved with the design from the outset, but we were shown the plans once they had been prepared. We said:
The building is much too big and its large blank walls right on the pavement would make Horfield Road even more of an unfriendly canyon
This is an important route into town used daily by hundreds in cars and on foot. The design should contribute to the appearance and safety of this route, not turn its back on it.
The building could be set further back on the site (for example, as a courtyard with a garden in front), and should not project so much above the two-storey houses on either side.
We question the provision of off-street parking here, the resultant loss of amenity space and the safety of car access onto this busy road with its fast traffic.

Further points made by local residents included:
ignores context and wrong scale. A 3-storey stepped form might be acceptable. The new pink and blue houses next door provide a good precedent in terms of scale and form. The large blank street elevation is extraordinarily insensitive.
The road facade is totally unacceptable.
Particularly agree with the KCG comments.
This garden is very pleasant. They are taking away a rather restful spot. The thought of 3 cars reversing into the fast-moving traffic is not good.
I welcome development of this ‘garden’
New houses next door have no off-street parking. This sets a good example.

What you can do: email north.planning@bristol.gov.uk before May 28th and tell them what you think of this scheme: ref: 08/01713/F 78-84 Horfield Rd, BS2 8EQ.

Helen Phillips writes:

Just a reminder that there is another Grown at Home gathering , again here at No73 KP (our kitchen is still empty and good for demonstrations) on Tuesday 6th May 7.30 - 8.30.

I’ve been sowing some seeds at long last and have some spare and I thought others might too. If you would like to bring any spare seeds or tiny seedlings along to swop or give away, it might make pricking out easier and less painful ( I always hate throwing away any tiny seedlings because I have no more window cill space left ) and maybe then I won’t keep seeds past their sell by / sow by date.

We could also discuss web sites which give sensible and useful advice and look at various seed catalogues for ideas, now we might know what we want to grow.

Afterwards there is a Kingsdown Homegrown meeting to gather new ideas or suggestions or just to comment on this year’s forth coming event  - to which everyone is invited.

KCG members may recall that we have not taken a formal view for or against the RPZ, because there was no clear consensus among our membership when the Council last published detailed proposals three years ago.

However, it is now very much a hot topic again, and we are grateful to Roger Mortimer of the Redland and Cotham Amenities Society, who has kindly given us permission to make available his recent short paper. In it he sets out some of the key questions that need to be answered before residents can take an informed view about whether the proposed RPZ will be of benefit. Download the paper as a Word document here.

Our Police Beat Manager Martin Durbin has sent us the following short update on the recent PACT meeting held at St Matthews church. (NB PACT stands for Partners and Community Together):

Twenty two residents turned up, two local councillors (Dr Wright /Mr Woodman) a chief inspector, Dermot MEEHAN who is the Beat Team insp, two sergeants, one of whom was Mark ALDERTON (B/T sergeant) numerous beat managers,and PCSO’s.

1. General parking problems in the Cotham area.
2. Students, noise rubbish,parking problems.
3. Cotham school, problems with students leaving around 3pm.
4. Ashley House Bail hostel, problems with residents in the area, the hostel itself.

Martin’s contact details are under ‘Useful Contacts’ over on the right.

Our notes this time focuse on Planning applications, as there are a lot of significant ones at present.

The gardens of 26-27 Somerset Street the applicant’s appeal against the City’s refusal to permit development of a block of 8 studio flats has been dismissed.

UBHT has applied to undertake a major residential development at 6 Kingsdown Parade - No. 08/01771/F, see details on the City Council’s website. Development is clearly acceptable but the Committee say that the proposals over develop the site and the architectural detail of the facades is unsympathetic to the character of the Conservation Area. Your views matter, and you can respond online.

The King Charles - King’s Square Avenue – No. 08/01241/F – response period is closed. The Committee has objected to this application to demolish most of the pub and to replace it with an unsympathetic block of studio flats. There are excellent examples of sympathetically regenerated buildings nearby.

The Joker on the Green. The Planning Committee has refused the application to retain this sculpture. The applicant says that she intends to appeal.

University
You may remember the KCG objected to the University’s proposals for Phase 1 of the development of its Masterplan, last year. As a result of advice from the Planning Department the University revised its plans. Go to Senate House before the 30th April to view the exhibition of the revised proposals and give your views. The Committee believe that the revised proposals are better than the first plan but don’t go far enough to meet our objections. The main points are
(i)The redesigned Biological Sciences Building on St. Michaels’ Hill is still too high. The Masterplan describes three blocks each of four floors. The proposal is to build a 5-floor lower and middle block and a 6-floor upper block at the Tyndall Avenue end.

(ii)The Maths block is one floor lower and its roof is reduced. There is no mock up photograph to show the effect of the block on the strategic view of the Physics Tower from Kingsdown Parade where it stops the view. Views into and out of Kingsdown are under threat from development.

147a St. Michaels’ Hill – No. 08/01241/F – closing date of public response – 30 April.
There is a new application to convert most of the building to residential use. The Committee do not object to the whole of application but only to certain aspects (i) to the extent of the extent of the loss of employment space (ii) to the continued use of the forecourt for parking, and (iii) to the installation of a bin store on the forecourt.

KCG looks for new members to serve on the committee. If you would like to attend a committee meeting to see what we do, please leave a message on the website.

Next Meeting of the committee – is on Tuesday the 20th May. Please email the secretary at secretary@kingsdown.org.uk about any matter of concern on the subject of Kingsdown.

See this Evening Post article for news of how KCG and others have made the University scale down its grandiose plans to something closer to its own Council-adopted Masterplan….
http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=144913&command=displayContent&sourceNode=144913&contentPK=20406083&folderPk=83726

Saved for the time being by the Planning Inspector, who agreed a year ago with Bristol City Council’s refusal of permission to convert into flats. Kingsdown Conservation Group and others opposed the application, and we are delighted that the Inspector agreed. She said’ “… the proposed change of use would be unacceptably harmful to the vitality and viability of the local shopping parade….”