Choosing The Right Location

Why is this assessed?

Bristol City Council has a planning policy test to make sure new student accommodation doesn’t lead to an over concentration of student housing in one neighbourhood, which could harm local character or residential amenity.

How does the Council check this?

For sites outside the city centre, the Council looks at the number of student bedspaces within a 200 metre radius of the site and converts that into a simple “bedspaces per hectare” figure. As a guide, proposals are less likely to be supported if they reach 10 bedspaces per hectare or more in that neighbourhood area.

What’s in the local area already?

Within 200 metres of the site, the Council’s mapping shows one nearby student scheme at 5-7 Alexandra Park, providing 19 bedspaces.

What happens if this proposal goes ahead?

Because the 200m area is 12.57 hectares, this equates to 7.23 bedspaces per hectare which is below the Council’s 10 bedspaces per hectare guideline. Therefore, the proposal would not create or add to a harmful .concentration of student housing in this locality.

How will potential impacts be managed?

The assessment also highlights measures aimed at protecting neighbours, including:

• A Student Management Plan to manage day-to-day operation and reduce risks like noise or disturbance.

• A car-free approach, backed up by tenancy requirements, to avoid adding parking pressure.

• Dedicated cycle and refuse/recycling storage designed to meet Council standards.

• No loss of existing homes, as the proposal doesn’t remove any existing housing stock.

The way the proposed development will be managed is explained on the next page of the consultation.