Introduction
The future of the existing ‘brownfield’ sites in Fishponds, known as 'Atlas Place', is currently being considered. Atlas Place (see red line on the map below) is comprised of three distinct sites located on Goodneston Road and Filwood Road.
Before detailed designs for the site are proposed, we want to understand what local people think of Atlas Place and the surrounding area – what’s good, what’s bad and how could it be improved for residents.
Your feedback will help us to understand how Atlas Place could be reshaped in a way that is right for Fishponds. We also want to understand what you think about our emerging planning and placemaking principles. These principles will be incorporated into a framework vision which will help to shape plans and will be subject to further consultations later this year on each of the three individual sites.
Emerging planning policy
Bristol City Council’s local plan review identified the three sites as part of a wider area that is suitable for residential-led, mixed use development. The extent of the wider area, known as ‘Central Fishponds’, is depicted by the coloured area on the plan below. The Central Fishponds area that has been identified for regeneration extends from Brentry Road in the west and includes the commercial and retail units on either side of Fishponds Road leading up to the junction of New Station Road to the East. It then extends southward to include Atlas Place.
Atlas Place occupies 14.8 hectares of the emerging Central Fishponds growth and regeneration area.
Background
Following early discussions with Bristol City Council, the three parties came together in October 2022 to consider how the area could be brought forward as one cohesive and comprehensive development.
It was decided that a framework vision should be prepared which would outline a series of strategic planning and placemaking principles to ensure a coordinated form of growth and regeneration. These principles will then guide future planning applications on the three individual sites, which are separately described later as defined ‘character areas’ for ease of reference. The framework vision was prepared by an independent consultant, McGregor Coxall, and forms part of this current consultation exercise.
This consultation seeks to engage with the local community to find out what you would like to see delivered on these sites, informed by Bristol City Council’s (BCC) emerging policy.
This stage of consultation is now closed. You can see what other's have said by visiting the interactive map or sign up to updates.
Context
Three industrial sites are coming forward for comprehensive residential-led mixed use redevelopment in Central Fishponds, known as ‘Atlas Place’. Atlas Place comprises three principal sites located on Goodneston Road and Filwood Road, Fishponds. The sites represent an opportunity to inject significant investment into the immediate area through the provision of high-quality development that integrates with its surroundings and:
- Delivery of new homes and a wider mix of land uses on a previously developed, brownfield site
- Employment reprovision through modern, fit for purpose flexible commercial floorspace
- Enhancements to environmental conditions, both on and off site, through the provision of enhanced, green connections, biodiversity net gain and the provision of open spaces on a neighbourhood scale;
- Boost to the local economy by supporting existing businesses and underpinning the vitality and viability of the nearby Fishponds Road district centre and Lodge Causeway shops; and,
- Provision of links between existing communities, enhancing the social aspects of the development through integrated walking and cycling links that will be designed to be attractive, and will provide safe places to move through, dwell in, and play.
The existing scenario
The nature of employment provision across Bristol is changing fast. A decline in the need for local industrial and warehousing land therefore presents a significant opportunity to create a place-led development to provide new homes and businesses that could support a new, integrated community.
Atlas Place is currently home to a number of operating businesses, which combined employ circa 400 people (a combination of full, part time and remote working). The largest single employer is Graphic Packaging International, who employs 230 (57%) people across the Atlas Place site. The company plans to relocate to a new, modern, fit for purpose premises within the wider Bristol region in 2023; doing so will not only ensure that current employees roles are maintained but there is an opportunity for the business to expand and grow without the constraints experienced on the current site.
Similarly, several businesses that operate from existing premises across Atlas Place are seeking to relocate to modern facilities to enable their expansion and support their long-term viability.
The redevelopment of these sites provides an opportunity to reduce heavy goods vehicle movements associated with the existing business from the surrounding highway network, thereby reducing current conflict with neighbouring uses, including residential and primary schools.
There is an opportunity to re-provide modern, fit for purpose, flexible commercial uses integrated within a residential-led scheme that is more compatible with the surrounding land uses.
The opportunity
These brownfield sites provide an opportunity to deliver much needed new homes to help meet the significant housing shortage in the City. The redevelopment of brownfield land reduces the need for greenfield development.
The initial concepts being considered across the site include residential development in the form of traditional dwellings and apartments, of which there will be an opportunity to provide accommodation across all of the living sectors in the form of affordable housing provision, build to rent accommodation, care and student accommodation.
The intention is to provide a wider range of housing tenures of different sizes to meet a broad spectrum of housing needed locally.
A new mixed use community inclusive of new homes and flexible employment space will likely generate additional expenditure that will support the vitality and viability of the existing business in Central Fishponds and the surrounding areas.
The development layout will seek to maintain and enhance the existing street hierarchy, as well as facilitate movement through the Atlas Place site to the Bristol and Bath Cycle Path and local services and facilities on Fishponds Road. Adopting this approach to connectivity of the development to the wider area will assist with the proposals successfully integrating into and with the existing community.
Timescales & next steps
We’d like to emphasise that we are at an early stage and the majority of businesses operating across Atlas Place will continue to do so for up to, possibly more than, another five years. Graphic Packaging International Ltd are likely to be one of the earliest businesses to vacate an existing building within Atlas Place following their planned relocation within the wider Bristol area which is scheduled to take place in 2023. It is expected that the completion of the development at Atlas Place will occur in 2030.
Following the end of the consultation, we will review the feedback received, and we will continue to formulate plans for the site. A further stage of public consultation and engagement is planned during Spring 2023 which will outline in more detail what is proposed for each respective site. It is anticipated that separate planning applications will then be submitted to Bristol City Council in late Spring/Summer 2023.