My Public Forum Statement

Statement submitted to Planning Committee B (meeting 2 September 2026) with respect to recommendation to approve change of use of St Joseph’s care home to student accommodation (application 26/11841/F).

(I will not be able to attend the meeting, so this statement is submitted in writing only.)

Submitted text follows:

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Chair,

I endorse, in full, the objection submitted by Councillor Guy Poultney (Cotham), setting out very clearly why this application should be refused.

I ask councillors to look at the big picture. There are competing demands:

-- To comply with national planning directives, particularly on housing,

-- To provide sites for further student accommodation, and

-- To preserve the character and balance of residential areas from over-concentrations of any particular use or demographic

All of these can be delivered if we stick to local planning policy. The key principles are set out in the current Local Plan (Policy DM2) and elaborated in Policies H6 (HMOs) and H7 (PBSA) of the “emerging” Plan now in the final stages of government scrutiny.

First, however, we have to recognise the facts.

It is clear to anyone with a direct connection to Cotham Hill that the area already has an excessive number of students and that their presence and activity is already tilting the balance of the neighbourhood, as a very large number of objectors attest. In the past, the shops and other outlets that contribute to Cotham Hill’s mix of residential and commercial uses were active during the day but had little impact on residents at night. Thanks to the growing accumulation of students, this is now changing. Several food and drink outlets have recently obtained late-night licences—having lots of people nearby who are active late at night provides a business opportunity. This new focus draws customers (many of them students) from further afield, increasing the late-night foot traffic along Cotham Hill, Hampton Park and Abbotsford Road, to and from residential areas further east. This activity is often noisy, hence the many complaints about lost sleep.

This is what a “harmful concentration” looks like in practice. It is what Policy DM2 is supposed to prevent.

That will only happen, however, if we are honest about cumulative effects. The principle of cumulation (recognised in national planning policy) implies that a proposal which may not be objectionable on its own can become so when it is superimposed on what already exists. Someone has to recognise what is happening and say, “Stop”.The officers have failed to do that in this case. Councillors must now steer the ship in the right direction. A better housing solution will be found for St Joseph’s—preferably one that benefits local people. There is plenty of space in the city, in correctly designated areas, for student housing. We don’t need to subject Cotham Hill to further stress that will not benefit the community, the university or its students.

Andrew Waller

Student Liaison Representative,

Redland & Cotham Amenities Society

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