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From new apartments at Wapping Wharf to St Nicholas Market repairs and rising air pollution, Bristol councils, developers, and residents are navigating complex priorities affecting homes, heritage, and public safety.
Transcript
00:00Bristol's development landscape is once again in the spotlight as councils, developers and residents navigate housing, heritage and public safety.
00:09At Wapping Wharf, a 10-storey apartment block could soon reshape the waterfront behind the M-shed.
00:15Umberslade Securities Limited has proposed 245 new homes and more than 10,000 square metres of retail and commercial space
00:24across the cargo buildings and an adjacent car park.
00:28The first phase would include a market hall and stepped restaurant terraces.
00:33Elsewhere in the city, Bristol City Council's quietly changed guidance on affordable housing requirements.
00:39Developers with existing planning permission can now renegotiate previously agreed levels of affordable homes if costs make the original numbers
00:48unviable.
00:49Green councillors say the change is intended to ensure stalled sites deliver new homes, while Labour critics warn it could
00:57lead to fewer affordable properties.
00:59Council officers point to rising construction costs, regulatory requirements from the Building Safety Act and difficulties for housing associations and
01:09city centre high-rises as factors driving the policy shift.
01:12St. Nicholas Market also faces an uncertain future.
01:16The iconic site requires £5.5 million in repairs, but the council has committed only £550,000 over four years.
01:26Additional funding is being sought from the National Lottery, Historic England and the West of England Combined Authority.
01:33Council reports highlight the need to address antisocial behaviour, improve facilities and bring upper floors back to use.
01:42Traders have called for better lighting, CCTV and security measures, while the council aims to develop a long-term vision
01:50for the market.
01:52On the waterfront, the Cascade Steps landing stage at the top of Bristol Floating Harbour urgently needs replacing.
01:59A structural report confirmed wood rot and failed joists, with a past incident of a member of the public falling
02:05through the timber platform.
02:07Council has approved £900,000 for the capital works, despite opposition proposals to divert the funds elsewhere.
02:15Officials warn that without the replacement, ferry services and events like the Harbour Festival could be disrupted.
02:23Finally, air quality concerns continue to shape Bristol's planning decisions.
02:28Colston Avenue's recorded nitrogen dioxide levels above legal limits, despite improvements across the city through the clean air zone and
02:36introduction of electric buses.
02:38Efforts to reroute traffic and reduce congestion on nearby streets, such as Park Street, have sparked debate over where the
02:44changes would unfairly increase pollution in sensitive areas near hospitals.
02:49The council's now developing a wider strategy to address pollution across the city.
02:54And that is all your round-up of the latest developments across Bristol.
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