Planning application 22/03224/EFUL for 616 residential dwellings on the former Gasworks site south of the river (part of the next phase of the Western Riverside development) is being determined by the Local Planning Authority. BPT has been involved in pre-application consultation with the development team throughout the year.

There are major benefits to the regeneration and redevelopment of this site and we support of the provision of much-needed housing within the city.

However, we have raised concerns to the approach to development across the site, including:

• Cumulative impact of the height, massing, and scale of development on local townscape and wider landscape views in the World Heritage Site.
• Affordable housing. We continue to push for a policy-compliant provision.
• Emphasis on the need for sustainable housing and ‘fabric first’ approach. We have encouraged the maximisation of on-site energy generation (eg. PVs).
• Absence of detail about how the proposed design, public realm, and infrastructure would be coherent with existing and forthcoming areas of development across the wider site.
• The dominant use of buff brick (without samples of texture, colour and mortar) across significant elevations which would be contrary to the local palette of materials, local distinctiveness and townscape character.

Our response calls for the provision of high quality housing with adequate green amenity space and a policy-compliant provision of affordable housing.

You can read our statement in full here.

The original planning application is available to view here.