Broadwalk Shopping Centre Redevelopment Backed in Committee U-Turn

Plans for the redevelopment of the Broadwalk Shopping Centre in Bristol – which would include bringing forward a mixed-use scheme comprising homes, commercial space and a cinema – have taken an unexpected step forward.Broadwalk Shopping Centre comprises more than 30 shops, leisure and entertainment uses and food outlets.Lined up is demolishing several buildings on the wider site, including the former Knowle Library, Redcatch Road Hand Car Wash, a multi-storey car park and units 17A, 17B, 46 and 47.The redevelopment would bring forward up to 850 homes, 79,000 sq ft of commercial space, community space, a library, a cinema/theatre development and 308 parking spaces.An economic benefits assessment submitted as part of the outline application indicates that the scheme would provide up to 510 permanent on-site jobs, as well as revenue from business rates, CIL, new homes bonus, up to 6.8m of local resident spending per annum and an estimated net additional maximum £15m GVA a year for Bristol.The plans went before Bristol City Council’s Development Control Committee on 31 May with a recommendation for approval but members unanimously voted to refuse the scheme.However, it has now gone back before committee and been backed, with one member noting that the planning balance had “shifted more in favour”.This came on the back of the developer making a pledge to increase the affordable housing provision, which had originally been fewer than 10 per cent of the total number of homes.The final vote was tied at 4-4 with one abstention, before chairman Richard Eddy used his casting vote to back the plans.