FAQs

The site is currently occupied by car retail and repairs businesses.

Sovereign owns the land and acts as landlord to the current businesses. To facilitate the redevelopment, Sovereign is in the process of serving notices on both the existing businesses.

There will be a reduction in employment floorspace, however, the design of the proposals incorporates new flexible floorspace at ground floor for commercial or community uses, which are likely to provide new employment opportunities. New jobs will also be created throughout the demolition and construction phases, and the introduction of new residents will help support existing jobs at local shops and businesses. The scheme will also create jobs within Sovereign – the scheme will require additional Housing Management, Community Officer and Property and Estate Management resources.  Sovereign also intends to provide an onsite caretaker. The planning application will include consideration of the net impact on employment.

Public engagement is important to Sovereign.  With our design team, we will be holding public consultations and workshops with the local community throughout the design process. This will give local residence the opportunity to have their thoughts heard and discussed and if appropriate incorporated into our final design.

Sovereign intends to provide an onsite caretaker who will be able to assist with a variety of day to day management issues.

As part of the scheme’s design development we will work closely with Secured by Design (SBD) an official police security initiative that works to improve the security of buildings and their immediate surroundings to provide safe places to live, work, shop and visit. Our scheme will incorporate their input.

Planning policy seeks developments to reduce reliance on the private car, so the proposals have been designed to reduce the need for new residents to own a car. The development would be in walking distance of many services and facilities and for longer trips, there is excellent access to bus facilities. Sovereign is also committed to providing electric/hybrid car club facilities. Located on a cycle path into the City Centre, the development will provide in excess of policy requirements for cycle parking.

The only vehicular access into the proposal will be from St Philips Causeway, using the existing access.  The layout has been designed to ensure that pedestrians and cyclist permeability is provided around the scheme. As part of engagement with residents of Edward Road and Chatsworth Road, we are exploring pedestrian/cyclist connections into the scheme from these roads.

We recognise that St Philips Causeway is a busy road. At present, there is a crossing to the south east of the site, next to Burger King, and we believe this provides good onward connections to Sainsburys, Sandy Park Road and beyond.

We will be providing around 100 parking spaces.  All family homes will have their own dedicated parking space on their plot. For multi-residence buildings there will be one enclosed secure parking area, with smaller parking courtyards located close to buildings. Visitor and disabled parking will be provided, in line with Bristol City Council’s Planning requirements.

We know that there are already Council managed residents parking zones on Edward and Chatsworth Roads, and private management arrangements within Paintworks. The site is in a sustainable location, with strong public transport links and a number of amenities and facilities within walking distance. Around one third of the proposed dwellings will have access to a parking space, and it is intended that the scheme’s location means that residents of the remaining dwellings will not be reliant on a car, although will have access to electric/hybrid car club hire facilities within the development.  

The development will provide electric vehicle (EV) charging to all parking spaces provided to individual houses/maisonettes.  EV charging will be provided to apartment spaces however further analysis of final design will be required. The new Building Regulations Part S aims to future proof homes and buildings via the installation of charging points for electric vehicles. Our development will comply with these requirements to help us achieve our Sustainability targets.  

We are looking to exceed Bristol City Council bicycle requirements for residential developments. For each multi-residence buildings a dedicated secure cycle store room will be located at ground floor, next to the building entrance for convenience. Family homes will have their own dedicated cycle store located externally by their front doors.

For multi-residence buildings, drop off bays for deliveries will be provided close to residential entrances.

We envisage a rich mix of open spaces will be provided as part of the new development. These will include a focal Gateway Square that responds to the Paintworks steps and the Sparke Evans footbridge connection, a central green community garden and smaller spaces distributed across the site at key nodes or entrance points. Maintenance of these public spaces will be carried out by the estate management and a high-level landscape maintenance and management plan will be prepared to support the planning application to inform the basis of future maintenance plans.

Protecting existing natural assets and wildlife and enhancing the site’s ecology is one of the main pillars of the landscape strategy and the big idea that inspired the scheme. All components of the landscape including lighting strategy and activity levels will be designed with great care to ensure local wildlife is protected as much as possible. Habitat features will be integrated within landscape and will be informed by a site-wide ecology strategy which can include bird and bat boxes, insect hotels and green corridors for the wildlife.

To bring the big idea to life through the creation of green fingers, we envisage significant new green open space will be provided as part of the scheme and this will include new tree planting alongside a rich, multi-layered, resilient and wildlife friendly planting palette. Tree planting species will be considering taking into account native palettes, local context and climate resilience.

Vehicular access is an important part of a successful and well-functioning scheme and our key objective is to create a streetscape that is green, active and a safe environment for the community. Streetscape will be designed as a low speed environment that is welcoming to pedestrians. Tree planting, raingardens, detailing of the surfaces and street furniture will all contribute to the creation of human-focused spaces. The site layout will be legible and clear for all users, to remove potential conflict points and provide safe circulation for all.

While the design is in an early stage, a sustainable drainage strategy is a key driver of the emerging landscape scheme. Vegetated raingardens with diverse and wildlife friendly plants can be used to contribute to the site’s surface water management and we are currently exploring how these make become a central part of the landscape design.

All family homes will have their own private rear garden. None will be north facing.

We have incorporated flexible floor space on the ground floor in parts of the proposal. This could be occupied by cafés, workshops, small offices and other commercial and community uses. Public squares within the scheme will be accessible to the community.

The flexible floor space could be utilised by small retail occupiers if there is market demand for this in this location. It is too early to say at this stage.

The use and occupiers of the flexible floor space isn’t finalised. If interest in this space arises from a communal workspace provider, this can be further investigated.

Sovereign is committed to environmental sustainability and intends to adopt a fabric-first approach to sustainability, by ensuring that buildings are insulated and passively cooled to reduce the need for the use of energy. Solar panels and heat pumps are currently being considered to ensure that the energy used in the development comes from sustainable and renewable resources as much as possible.

The dwellings are proposed to be heated using Air Source Heat Pump technology supplemented by Solar PV panels.  Mechanical cooling is not proposed.

It is proposed that the material in the existing buildings will be reused for use on site for the construction of roads and hard standings.  All timber/metal will be recycled by the demolition contractor.

We expect that a condition of the planning permission would require a construction management plan to be submitted and approved by the Council. This would detail the method for construction and demolition and ensure that disruption is minimised as much as possible.

Sovereign will appoint a Resident Liaison and will seek to hold regular meetings with existing residents/Community Liaison Group to discuss progress of the project and observations /issues can be raised.

As a housing association of scale with 61,000 properties across the south of England Sovereign have an experienced team of property managers based locally to the scheme, in Bristol.

Sovereign has a highly experienced team of grounds and estate managers based locally in South Gloucestershire.  We are also intending to provide an on site scheme caretaker who will be able to assist with a variety of day to day on site management issues. 

We have incorporated flexible floor space on the ground floor in parts of the development. This could be occupied by cafés, workshops, small offices and other commercial uses, including healthcare. At present, no healthcare provider has expressed interest in occupying this space.

A new school at Silverthorne Lane has recently been granted planning permission and it is anticipated that this will be open by the time that this scheme is developed. The proposal will provide a substantial amount of money to the Council in Community Infrastructure Levy payments which the Council could invest in providing new school places or facilities.

During our public consultation in summer 2022, we asked neighbours, key stakeholders and the wider community to give us their views on the emerging proposals and these views are being considered. 

We will be engaging further with the community later this year to provide an update on the proposals being submitted for planning approval. A community liaison group has also been set up representing local residents and stakeholders in the community.

We are a little early in the process to be able to answer this. This will emerge from further discussions with the Council as the proposals develop.

A Waste and Recycling Strategy will be prepared and submitted with the planning application. The layout has been designed to facilitate access for waste and recycling vehicles.