More than 700 new homes could be built on the site of the Aviva Centre and within the footprint of a neighbouring retail park in Stoke Gifford, according the latest draft of a planning blueprint being prepared by South Gloucestershire Council (SGC).
The local authority’s emerging Local Plan for the period 2025 to 2040 has recently had 17 extra housing sites added to it in order to provide a level of contingency in case some of the previously identified sites fail to come forward as anticipated.
The additional sites, of which five are in Stoke Gifford, collectively have a potential capacity for 1,751 new homes.
Within this total, the two largest contributors are the Aviva Centre (400 homes) and Filton Retail Park (250 homes) – the latter being located on Fox Den Road and currently hosting The Range, Lidl and Everlast Gyms.
The council is currently holding a public consultation, running until 13th September 2024, on whether the proposed additional housing sites should be included in the final version of its Local Plan, which will eventually be assessed for “soundness” by a government-appointed inspector.
Inclusion of a site within the adopted Local Plan does not necessarily mean that it will be developed. Detailed plans would need to be produced and planning permission obtained in the usual way.
Aviva Centre
As previously reported, Aviva has surplus office space capacity at its Stoke Gifford site and the business has been trying to let this out to other companies. To support this aim, the site was recently renamed ‘Lake View’ and marketing signs erected around the perimeter.
However, earlier this year the owners of the Aviva Centre site submitted a response to a renewed ‘call for [housing] sites’ put out by South Gloucestershire Council. In their response they outline the potential for the 16.67ha site to accommodate up to 400 residential units along with up to 154,000sqft of office, research & development or light industrial space.
The submission document states:
“There has been a decline in the interest of out-of-town office space over the last few years for various reasons, especially second-class office space. Within this context, the landowner, whilst respecting existing commercial interests, is presenting this site for alternative and mixed-use development.”
The document claims the site provides a “pivotal opportunity to assist South Gloucestershire Council in meeting future housing and employment needs,” adding that it is “in a sustainable location, close to Parkway railway station, with access to many local services and facilities”.
An illustrative site masterplan (see above) included within the submission document shows most of the existing buildings on the site being retained, with traditional terraced homes being built on two of the existing car parking areas along with three large new multi-storey blocks aligned along a south-west to north-east axis.
The document states that the site is able to come forward for development “without delay” within the next five years, “subject to the appropriate planning consent”.
Council’s assessment
Within the current consultation material, council officers’ assessment of the site’s potential to increase housing supply is stated as:
“The site could be considered at this stage for the following reasons set out against the criteria. The site is within the urban area and can take advantage of existing infrastructure. The site does not require major new infrastructure and is considered to be developable or deliverable in the plan period. The site has suitable access to services and facilities and public transport connections. The site has a number of constraints including being previously developed land however it is considered likely that these could be avoided / mitigated.”
Adjoining site
An adjoining site on the other side of Westfield Lane, currently serving as an overflow car park for the Aviva Centre, although not actively used as such, is also being put forward as a potential housing site capable of providing 60 homes.
Filton Retail Park
Consultants acting for the owners of Filton Retail Park (confusingly named as it lies within the parish of Stoke Gifford and forms part of the Stoke Gifford District Centre) have responded to the council’s latest ‘call for sites’ with an outline description of a scheme that could provide “200 to 300+” residential homes whilst at the same time providing an element of retail floor space.
Any residential homes that come forward here would be in addition to the already approved nine-storey student accommodation block, providing 330 flats, that is set to be constructed at the southern end of the site – on the footprint of the former B&Q garden centre and adjacent car parking spaces.
The submission documents claims that, within the district centre, the existing retail terrace will be “bookended” by the student accommodation block and the recently completed Premier Inn on Fox Den Road, making it appear “somewhat incongruous”.
The document goes on to state that the landowner is:
“Considering options, subject to a number of considerations (including matters relating to tenancies and phasing), to provide a masterplan to redevelop [the retail terrace] in order to provide main town centre uses at ground floor level with residential development provided above.”
It then adds:
“The development would be in the form of a flatted development (circa 200-300+ units), perhaps in a series of mid-size towers and, of course, not necessarily on the footprint of the existing retail terrace.”
The consultants specify a timescale of “within the next 11 to 20 years” for delivery of any redevelopment, meaning that it would come towards the end of the Local Plan period.
Council’s assessment
Within the current consultation material, council officers’ assessment of the site’s potential to increase housing supply is stated as:
“The site is within the urban area and can take advantage of existing infrastructure. The site does not require major new infrastructure and is considered to be developable or deliverable in the plan period. The site has suitable access to services and facilities and public transport connections. The site has a number of constraints including being previously developed land however it is considered likely that these could be avoided / mitigated.”
Other local sites
The two other sites in Stoke Gifford that have been put forward for inclusion in the draft local plan are:
- Land at Hambrook Lane, Stoke Gifford – 70 homes
- Land to the North and East of Highbrook View, Stoke Gifford – 8 homes
Both of theses sites are immediately adjacent to Crest Nicholson’s existing Highbrook View development on the west side of the Stoke Gifford by-Pass.
According to the submitted documents, the former would be accessed from Hambrook Lane and Kilby Road (within Highbrook View) while the latter would be accessed from Highbrook View only.
In both cases, delivery is said to be possible “within the next five years”.
More information and related links
- Council opens additional consultation on draft Local Plan with 17 new housing sites added (South Glos Post)
- Additional consultation: Regulation 18 – Local Plan Topic Paper for Housing Land Supply and Bristol Unmet Need (SGC)
- ‘Call for sites’ map (SGC)
- ‘Call for sites’ submission documents (SGC):
Does the king know what is happening. As he opened it with great fanfare?🤔
AVIVA CENTRE
Let’s not loose sight that all this land 28 years was greenfield complete with footpaths.
The local Stoke Gifford Parish may resist the impact on the inevitable increase of patients on the already overstretched Doctors surgery. But in the end no matter how many protestations if the planning is ‘called in’ developers and big businesses will take it to central Government and win the appeal. The same procedure route by big businesses with the recently constructed car access from Hatchet Road into the local fish & chips shop/Co-op parking area.
This is ridiculous the road around here are at breaking point I have no objection to new houses government immigration policies make it inevitable but the whole area will become like a car park