Plans to build 62 new homes in Bristol deemed unlawful

A conservation charity has won a legal challenge to stop 62 new homes from being built.

The Clifton and Hotwells Improvement Society (CHIS) fought a planning application to build on the former zoo car park in College Road, Bristol.

A judicial review said the council had not taken Historic England's advice and its plans were not legal.

The plans will now return to Bristol City Council's planning committee to be decided on by members on 22 September.

Bristol Zoological Society said this would lead to a "brief delay".

The Zoo is using the sale of its car park to help fund a new Bristol Zoo, which will be based at its Wild Place Project.

It said the setback would not affect the closure of the current site in Clifton, which will shut later this year.

"Bristol Zoological Society's design for this brownfield site on College Road will bring much-needed housing for Bristol, providing 62 high-quality, environmentally-friendly homes - of which 20% will be affordable," Francesca Fryer, director of transformation at the zoo said.

A judge found that while Bristol City Council had consulted Historic England on the plans, it had not taken its advice on the damage they would do to nearby listed buildings.

A CHIS spokesperson said: "The council accepted that they acted unlawfully in the way they made the decision."

A spokesperson for Bristol City Council said: "Now that the planning permission has been quashed we will work with all parties to re-consult on the application and carry out more detailed assessments before reporting again to the Development Control Committee later this year."

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