Revised plans in for St Catherine’s Place

Revised plans for the redevelopment of St Catherine’s Place in Bedminster have been unveiled.The proposals have been updated in response to local feedback and to ensure they fit the new Bedminster Green framework, which guides development for the area.At the heart of the regeneration of Bedminster Green and the surrounding area, the plans are for a mixed-use development with more than 200 new homes, together with shops and leisure facilities.In the amended proposals, the height of the tallest building has been lowered substantially from 22 storeys to 16 storeys. The overall bulk of this building has also been scaled back by removing four storeys from the rear, taking it down from 13 storeys to nine.The other four buildings in the scheme are all eight storeys in height or under. These changes have reduced the overall number of homes being created at St Catherine’s Place from 271 to 205.The developer has also now earmarked buildings in its amended plans for affordable homes and are in advanced negotiations with a social housing provider for these, with a target of 20 per cent of the homes in the scheme.The other major change to the plans is the provision of land by Firmstone for a new dedicated bus lane running along Dalby Road to ensure the council’s emerging Strategic Transport Assessment for the area can be delivered.The heart of the regeneration of St Catherine’s Place will be around the existing shopping arcade. This will be re-organised and upgraded with new shop frontages and a new central public square, together with new leisure spaces created at street level.The developer has already secured the commitment of Scott Cinemas to open at St Catherine’s Place and has a number of other retailers lined up in principle to take space in the shopping centre.Catherine’s House, which forms part of the mixed-use St Catherine’s Place scheme, has already being converted into 54 apartments by Firmstone, as the first stage in their regeneration plans. The homes are now all sold and occupied.