Redevelopment of Bristol’s iconic General Hospital is to go ahead after a U-turn by the city council.
Councillors gave the go-ahead last night to a scheme to develop housing and retail on the site. The hospital, parts of which date back more than 150 years, closed to patients earlier this year.
Essex-based d
eveloper City & Country had an earlier planning application rejected by the council , which is appealed against.
The plans include restoring the hospital’s Victorian buildings to their former glory and creating up to 300 apartments along with an arcade of shops, boutiques and cafes on the waterfront side of the site on Guinea Street overlooking the New Cut, pictured.
Today the developer’s managing director Helen Moore, said: “We are delighted by the decision, which is a clear vote of confidence in our vision to breathe new life into one of Bristol’s most iconic buildings by bringing it back into long-term and beneficial use for the benefit of current and future generations. It also validates our argument that the council’s original decision to refuse our proposals was based on flawed and inaccurate information by a consultant who was clearly out of his depth. We applaud Officers and Members for recognising this and swiftly acting to rectify the situation.
“The green light for the restoration of the General Hospital represents a significant investment in Bristol and its business community. Our proposals will generate over £170m of economic activity locally, including a significant number of new jobs created during the construction programme together with opportunities for local businesses to provide goods and services as part of our supply chain.
“We would like to express our sincere thanks to the local community who have constantly supported our vision for the General Hospital and have worked in partnership with us throughout our extensive programme of consultation to develop this sensitive solution for the future of the site.
“We will now begin the process of using our specialist skills and expertise to set about the very important restoration and repair work to stop the continued deterioration of the historic buildings. The restored buildings will, we are sure, become an award winning and cherished new focus for the Harbourside area, of which Bristol will be genuinely proud.”
