By Adam Postans, LDRS reporter
Plans for 421 student beds at the University of the West of England’s Frenchay Campus have been given the go-ahead despite concerns about parking in nearby streets.
South Gloucestershire Council’s strategic sites delivery committee granted permission for a pair of six-storey blocks at the site in Coldharbour Lane, Stoke Gifford.
UWE operates a ‘no car policy’ which means students are not allowed to park vehicles within two miles of the campus as part of their tenancy agreement.
But Stoke Park and Cheswick councillor Ayrden Pocock told the meeting that the community had longstanding concerns that it was not enforced.
He said staff and students parked in nearby streets, taking away spaces from residents, and that the plans would see a further reduction in parking on campus so the situation would
only get worse. He said he was not opposed to the development but a long-term parking solution was needed, such as a residents’ parking zone which operated well on the Bristol City Council side of the border in Lockleaze.
Cllr Pocock, also a parish councillor, said: “There is a permit scheme in the area and it works.
“It seems totally illogical to residents, myself and the parish council why we can’t use this opportunity to have a complete overhaul of how parking management works in the area.”
A planning officer replied that a residents’ parking scheme fell outside of what could be decided in UWE’s planning application but that the idea was subject to ongoing talks between South Gloucestershire Council and the university.
He added that for this specific application, it was not considered that the six-storey blocks would exacerbate the issue as the students would already be on campus with no need to travel.
Committee member Cllr Mike Bell (Labour, Staple Hill & Mangotsfield) said he could not believe that the plans included just two car parking spaces for disabled students and three for carers out of the 421 bed spaces. He told the meeting: “It’s certainly not enough.”
The planning officer, who recommended giving the plans the go-ahead, said the university had ample nearby on-site parking if that became an issue.
The new buildings will replace the now-demolished Mallard House service building in the south-east corner of the campus, along with some car parking areas – a loss of 198 spaces.