St Philip's Marsh, page 5: St Philip's Marsh development framework - key themes

This consultation has now concluded. Information about the project is still available to read below, and results will be published in due course.

The section below sets out an indication of what could be achieved in St Philip's Marsh. The information is structured under different themes:

Land-use & Density Testing Scenarios
Movement & Access
Community Infrastructure
Public Realm and Built Environment
Open Space and Green Infrastructure
Enabling Infrastructure

Land-use and Density Testing Scenarios

To start the conversation we are exploring different uses of land at St Philip's Marsh. Three scenarios have been considered in this framework as a starting point, with a range of outcomes for the amount and type of development possible.

This should only be seen as an exploration of potential future uses to help guide responses to this consultation - any detailed proposals will be developed during masterplanning with community and business involvement.

The scenarios are:

Employment led mixed-use
Residential led mixed-use
High density residential led

The amount of development set out for each scenario explores what the implications could be for the area in terms of scale, character and community facilities.

Housing

The scenarios test a range of possibilities including density, scale and mix of houses and apartments. All scenarios would result in a substantial new residential community.
Affordable housing should be compliant with planning policy which sets a target of 40% affordable housing for developments of 15+ dwellings in the Bristol Inner East Affordable Housing Zone.
Student accommodation should be guided by the limits set out in the Local Plan Review policy H7.

Employment

The mix of employment space should support a range of business types such as start-ups, creative enterprises and small-scale manufacturing / light industry, including retention and relocation of existing businesses where suitable. For the purposes of scenario testing, the amount of employment space is not based on detailed measurements.

Leisure / mixed use

Scenario 2 identifies land associated with the Bristol Fruit Market site as an opportunity for a large scale, mixed-use leisure destination. This could potentially include reconfiguration of the market to create a more visitor focused attraction including fresh food / street food markets, entertainment and education.

Local retail and services, community Infrastructure and open space are considered in further sections of the St Philip's Marsh information.

Scenario 1 - Employment-led mixed use

Residential: 2,250 dwellings

Mix: 30% Residential

Jobs: 8,000 - 10,000

Community mix: Mixed density residential neighbourhood supporting a broad mix of accommodation types. Up to 30% of dwellings would be houses.

Community Infrastructure: Potential requirement for a new primary school.

Open Space: Sparke Evans Park, enhanced River Avon Greenway and local small spaces provide sufficient space for new community.

Scenario 1: illustrative land-use and density distribution. Click here to view a larger version of the map above in a new tab.

Scenario 2 - Residential led mixed-use

Residential: 4,500 dwellings

Mix: 60% Residential

Jobs: 4,000 - 5,000

Community mix: Higher proportion of apartments. Up to 15% houses.

Community Infrastructure: Likely to require at least one primary school and a new healthcare centre.

Open Space: Requires multiple new open spaces to accommodate children’s play and general amenity space for residents.

Illustrative land use for scenario two. South St Philip's Marsh is lower to medium density residential mixed-use, alongside a major leisure facility on the site of the current Fruit Market. Central areas from Albert Road to St Philip's Causeway are a mix of low to-medium density residential and employment led-mixed use, with employment concentrated in the east. The Enterprise Campus adjacent to Temple Meads station is marked as education facilities. North of the Feeder Canal including Avon Street and Silverthorne Lane are shown as a mix of residential, employment and educational uses. Temple Island has a mix of high density residential, employment and educational uses.

Scenario 2: illustrative land-use and density distribution. Click here to view a larger version of the map above in a new tab.

Scenario 3 - High density residential led

Residential: 7,000 dwellings

Mix: 85% Residential

Jobs: 3,000 - 4,000

Community mix: High density consisting mostly of apartments. Houses limited to 5-10% of mix. Opportunities for range of apartment types which support family living should be explored.

Community Infrastructure: Likely to requires at least two new primary schools and larger healthcare centre.

Open Space: Requires multiple new open spaces to accommodate children’s play and general amenity space for residents. Potential demand for more open space than shown in framework.

Illustrative land use for scenario three. South St Philip's Marsh and central areas a mix of low, medium and high density residential uses, with two educational facilities. Employment is concentrated in the north east. The Enterprise Campus adjacent to Temple Meads station is marked as education facilities. North of the Feeder Canal including Avon Street and Silverthorne Lane are shown as a mix of residential, employment and educational uses, with higher density employment use. Temple Island has a mix of high density residential, employment and educational uses.

Scenario 3: Illustrative land-use and density distribution. Click here to view a larger version of the image above in a new tab.

Optimising density

Developing at a higher density in locations such as St Philip's Marsh has the potential to support a range of objectives including:

New homes and workplaces to meet the needs of the city and its communities.
Ensuring that many people can live and work in locations that can easily be accessed by sustainable and active modes of transport.
Supporting viability of active uses, business and community facilities in and around central Bristol.
Making efficient use of land and reducing demand for greenfield urban expansion.

Developing at higher densities can create a range of design challenges which need to be addressed, to ensure that developments create sustainable and liveable places which stand the test of time. Guidance on the planning and design of high-density development is provided in Bristol City Council's Urban Living SPD.

Optimising density will likely result in buildings of a greater scale than currently in St Philip’s Marsh. Opportunities for tall buildings may exist to create landmarks or enhance key views.

Providing a variety of accommodation

A variety of new homes and buildings can be designed to support a broad demographic of residents. For example, homes could include townhouses, live/work units, apartments and maisonettes.

In addition, streets and spaces should provide space for people to socialise and for businesses to ‘spill out’.

A variety of layouts can be considered. The attached illustrations are possibilities for providing residential accommodation in blocks with varying heights and types of accommodation.

Graphic showing development plot layouts to meet a range of density options. Top left shows buildings up to six storeys arranged in a square with a central courtyard. Top right shows buildings arranged in a square, with one taller building up to 12 storeys in one corner with the other buildings of other, lower heights. There is a central open space. Bottom right shows buildings arranged in a square with a range of heights up to 12 storeys. In the centre of the square there is another building and a smaller greenspace. Bottom left, the image shows three rows of buildings of heights up five storeys, with some greenspace between the rows of buildings.

Density typologies. Click here to view a larger version of the image above in a new tab.

It is also possible to consider a block type layout with a mix of uses as shown in the diagram here:

Graphic showing a block of buildings and the different uses that could go on each floor. The ground floor could have flexible employment and business space, community facilities, retail unit, and the groundfloor of town houses and maisonettes. The Upper Ground floor could have accessible communal residents' garden, business units and flexible community space. The Upper floors could have apartments, offices and other uses.

Click here to view a larger version of the image above in a new tab.

Pop up animation

Opportunities for ‘pop up’ uses should be considered in design and management of the area, while larger sites such as Sparke Evans Park offer opportunities for regular seasonal markets and community events.

Re-use of existing buildings

Opportunities should be explored to retain and re-purpose existing buildings, either with long-term or meanwhile-uses as part of the phased transformation of the area.
Photo of re-use of an existing building. A glass panelled office space sits within an older warehouse. Example of re-use of an existing building
Evening and night time

The mix of uses and design of the built environment should aim to accommodate and support a thriving evening and night-time economy. This should include a range of restaurants and bars, night markets, small-scale arts and cultural venues and spaces for performance and live music, as well as uses which support the cultural ecosystem, such as rehearsal spaces and places to store equipment.

Existing local businesses in the area, such as micro-breweries and entertainment venues, could be carefully integrated with new development and provided with opportunities for growth. Consideration will need to be given to compatibility of night-time uses with residential accommodation.