Planning application submitted for Avon Street student residential development in central Bristol

A planning application has been submitted for a striking and centrally located student residential development at Avon Street in central Bristol.

Specialist student accommodation developer and operator Host Student Housing Ltd, with the support of the University of Bristol, is seeking to deliver purpose-built student apartments across two sites adjacent to the proposed Bristol University Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus.

Chapman Taylor’s design for the Avon Street site will provide a 502-bed student residence complex across three buildings arranged around an open courtyard on the 0.36-hectare site of the former Chanson Foods facility, which sits beside Bristol’s famous Floating Harbour and adjacent to the proposed university campus. The proposed development will relieve some of the housing pressure on residential areas in the city and provide high-quality accommodation and shared facilities in a superb location.

The distinctive architecture of the buildings, which references the craggy slopes of the Avon Gorge and the area's industrial past, will provide a readily identifiable landmark for passengers travelling in and out of Temple Meads station. The buildings will vary from six to 13 storeys in height, with a standalone two-storey mixed-use hub to the harbour side.

The structures will be set back from the street, harbour and railway to provide an improved external landscape and enhanced connectivity as well as allowing for the future incorporation of the site into a possible harbour walkway.

The development will have an active ground floor, including a highly active reception area to enhance security for residents and visitors, and views from the street through to the harbour.

Should planning permission be achieved, it is anticipated that the scheme will complete in time for the autumn 2022 opening by the University of Bristol of the adjacent Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus.