Final approval given on £375m Bristol scheme

Development plans for the £375m regeneration of Silverthorne Lane in Bristol Temple Quarter have been given the green light by the minister of state for housing, with the decision bringing to an end a nearly two-year wait for approval.The decision brings to an end a nearly two-year wait since a unanimous decision to grant planning permission by members of Bristol City Council’s development control committee.Now, Square Bay and its delivery partners can begin the transformation of the derelict former industrial site.Lined up are 367 new homes and commercial space brought forward by Studio HIVE in partnership with Atlas Land, a new research and learning building by the University of Bristol as part of its emerging Temple Quarter Campus and 693 student beds, with Singapore-based Woh Hup behind this element, in partnership with Atlas Land.The scheme will also comprise a 1,600-pupil secondary school and sixth form brought forward by the Department for Education.Feeder Estates LLP – a partnership controlled and managed by Square Bay – submitted the planning application for Silverthorne Lane back in August 2019, following extensive work with city partners.A recommendation for approval was followed by a unanimous vote by Bristol City Council’s planning committee in August 2020, but Environment Agency objections citing flood risk matters in the wider Temple Quarter triggered a call-in from then secretary of state, Robert Jenrick MP.Now, following a public inquiry in May 2021 conducted by planning inspector Zoe Hill, the plans can now move forward following the publication of the decision by the housing minister on behalf of the secretary of state, Michael Gove MP.It is thought that the decision will unlock an estimated £1bn of investment across the wider Temple Quarter.In her report on the public inquiry, Hill noted that “the applicant has demonstrated throughout the course of the Inquiry why its approach to flood risk has been cautious, thorough and proper”.