UK: Plans have been submitted for the conversion of a 1950s Bristol office block in to a 100+ unit coliving development.
Alec French Architects’ proposals for a brownfield site in Southville would provide 113 one-bedroom studio apartments and communal living facilities.
The site, on the corner of Coronation Road and St John’s Road, currently consists of a three-storey office block, a vacant unused shed and a single garage.
The St John’s Gate coliving scheme, which would range in height from two to five storeys, will offer a variety of shared spaces including communal kitchens and lounges, a gym and a coworking space for residents.
Plans, submitted to Bristol City Council on behalf of the developer Land & Buildings, also include communal gardens, courtyard spaces, and rooftop terraces.
Louis Lane, associate director at Alec French Architects, said: “It will provide affordable but high-quality rental accommodation for key workers and young professionals which is badly needed in the city. Coliving developments address a growing challenge within cities like Bristol that has been getting progressively worse for many years. How can the people who need to live in our city centres afford to do so as land values rise ever higher and development costs continue to soar?”
“Coliving offers an answer to this problem by providing key workers with affordable, one-bedroom apartments and shared, high-quality services in a desirable location. This provides an alternative housing provision to opting for a house share or settling for apartments of lower quality or in less convenient locations. We also believe that the redevelopment of the buildings in St John’s Road will breathe new life into what has become an unattractive site. It will greatly improve the urban character of this area and provide passive security into Lucky Lane while also delivering attractive homes on a brownfield site,” he added.
Land & Buildings is jointly developing the site with the current owner Castlemead. The latter said the existing office block no longer meets the needs of prospective tenants due to a lack of accessible entrances, poor insulation and energy inefficient heating.
