St Joseph's 132-bed plan: Objections mount as 10 June deadline approaches

By Andrew Waller,  7 June 2026  

With just a couple of business days to go before the comments deadline for the St Joseph's planning application, responses are fast building towards the 100-mark—with objections running at around 95%.

I have filed my own objection—see below, along with my comments about noise concerns.

To recap: Developer Harringay Real Estate seeks planning permission to turn the former St Joseph's care home at Cotham Hill (see photo above) into student accommodation, with 132 beds in a mixture of self-contained studio flats and "clusters" in which some facilities will be shared.

Details of the application can be seen on Bristol City Council’s planning website, reference 26/11841/F.  The deadline for responses is 10 June 2026, though it's unclear at what time on that day the list will close—perhaps the end of business hours?

Objections filed so far have highlighted a number of grounds:

• Clifton Down ward, in which the site sits, already has a very high student population, so the proposal would represent an over-concentration, contrary to Bristol's planning policies.

• It would add to existing problems with night-time noise and waste on the streets.

• The entrance to St Joseph's is on a blind bend; increasing the foot traffic at that point could be dangerous.

• Although the developers say the site would be virtually car-free, many people are sceptical that students will not bring cars to Bristol.

• Local businesses face a 'feast or famine' effect—making money when students are present but struggling during holiday periods when they're absent.

In my own objection, which can be seen here, I have discussed the potential noise concerns in some detail. In particular, I question the results of the applicant's noise assessment and ask whether the building's management will be adequately equipped to prevent party noise from either the building or its garden.

After I submitted my response to the planning website, I saw that the council's "Pollution Control" department—I think that is actually the Neighbourhood Enforcement Team—has filed a notice of "no objection" (see 3 June in the document list) to the proposal, albeit it has stipulated that if the plan is approved, the applicant must submit a management plan covering various topics. These undertakings would be secured as a planning condition, attached to the approval. However, the council's insubstantial treatment of those issues is precisely what I anticipated and express concern about in section 5 of my response.

​​​In addition to the planning documents on the BCC website, Harringay has also posted information at this website: https://stjosephscothamhill.com/index.php.​​

Related articles:

• My objection, highlighting noise concerns

• St Joseph’s ... meet Woodland Court—Why Harringay may face planning hurdles 

(Site maintenance note, 16 June 2026: This was formerly static text published on the home page on June 2026 and now moved into blog post format for archiving purposes.)​