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UK: Developer Harringay Real Estate has submitted a planning application for the conversion of a former convent building on Cotham Hill in Bristol into student accommodation.
It is seeking to transform the former St Joseph’s Care Home, which closed in 2025 after being sold by the Little Sisters of the Poor religious order.
The proposals would provide 132 student rooms located a five-minute walk from the University of Bristol’s main Clifton campus.
A spokesperson for Harringay Real Estate said: “We are very pleased to have formally submitted our proposals to Bristol City Council following engagement with the local community. We gave careful consideration to a range of potential uses for the former building, however it is clear that it lends itself best to providing much-needed purpose-built student accommodation with minimum impact on the fabric of the local landmark.”
The development would comprise 102 studios and 28 rooms across five cluster flats, along with amenity spaces, cycle storage and communal gardens.
The building, which dates from 1860, was largely rebuilt in the 1950s following extensive World War II bomb damage. The plans involve limited external changes to preserve its status as a local landmark.
The scheme would be largely car-free, with parking only for staff and disabled students. Contractual restrictions would prevent students keeping cars locally, and residents would be unable to apply for parking permits in surrounding streets.
The spokesperson added: “During our consultation, a number of local residents raised concerns about the impact on the area of unmanaged student HMOs in the private rental sector. We understand these concerns, and it is why it is so important that high-quality, professionally managed purpose-built student accommodation schemes such as this come forward to reduce the antisocial aspects that can sometimes arise in the unmanaged sector.”
The developer said market analysis indicates recent rental reforms are leading private landlords to leave the market, accelerating a shift towards managed purpose-built student accommodation.
Highlights:
- Developer Harringay Real Estate has submitted a planning application for the conversion of a former convent building on Cotham Hill in Bristol into student accommodation
- It is seeking to transform the former St Joseph’s Care Home, which closed in 2025
- The development would comprise 102 studios and 28 rooms across five cluster flats, along with amenity spaces, cycle storage and communal gardens
