A scheme to build flats on the Bristol Royal Infirmary (BRI) site whilst retaining both the BRI and the Grade 11 listed Fripps Chapel has been submitted to Bristol City Council, according to Bristol Live.
Bristol Live writes:
Fresh plans have been submitted to build flats and hundreds of student homes on the site of the old Bristol Royal Infirmary building. There is a long and complicated planning history for the derelict site between Marlborough Street, Lower Maudlin Street and Whitson Street, which stretches back to 2015. Two previous planning applications submitted by Unite Students, which owns the land, have since been turned down by Bristol City Council after hundreds of objections which also prompted the authority to extend a conservation area to include the former BRI building.
A small chapel on the site, known as Fripps Chapel, which had been earmarked for demolition in the previous applications, has also since been granted Grade II listed status by Historic England. But this time the developers have agreed to keep both the Georgian BRI building, which fronts onto Marlborough Street, and the chapel as part of its plans. Unite has appointed a new design and planning team to bring the scheme forward…
… The listed chapel would be retained and refurbished for community or academic use and would be opened up to the public with a new access to the site from Whitson Street. The remainder of the buildings on the site would be demolished and in its place purpose-built student accommodation for 416 students… The tallest buildings would be closest to the Old BRI building near the top of the site and the four-storey section would be opposite the Priory. There are also plans to build a new public square in the centre …
… A statement in the Design and Access Statement said: ‘The introduction of new residential accommodation within the city centre will give the Old BRI a new lease of life and preserve the building for the future enjoyment of many…
