Bristol: Green light for major Bedminster regeneration project

Developers will have to follow a strict framework when they apply for planning permission

A regeneration project which includes plans for 2,000 homes has moved one step closer.

A master plan for the area around Whitehouse Street in Bedminster, Bristol, has been approved, paving the way for its transformation.

The site is currently home to garages and light industrial businesses - but it will radically change over the next 15 years.

The approved regeneration framework will guide how the area is developed.

Individual developers will have to follow the vision set out by the council in the framework when applying for planning permission, the Local Democracy Reporting Service explains.

Regeneration plans include the building of cycle lanes, a new bridge over the New Cut, and reopening underground parts of the River Malago.

The cabinet approved the framework during a meeting on Tuesday, marking a major step forward in the project.

The regeneration framework follows a public consultation

Councillors welcomed the project but raised concerns that few of the new homes would be classed as affordable.

The council has a policy elsewhere in the city that 30% of new homes in a development should be affordable, but this will be cut back in the Whitehouse Street regeneration project to just 20% - potentially losing up to 200 affordable homes.

New buildings are likely to be connected to the district heat network, avoiding the need for gas boilers, which use fossil fuels and emit greenhouse gases.

The nearby River Malago, which is culverted in some places, is set to be opened up and restored in a boost for local wildlife habitats.