Castle Park View

and opened in 1966, which formerly occupied the site The site stands between Castle Street, Tower Hill, Queen Street, and Marybush Lane, on land long associated with the former castle precinct and later with the city's post-war rebuilding. Before redevelopment it was occupied by the Central Ambulance Station, begun in 1958 and opened in 1966. Planning permission for the Chapman Taylor scheme was granted in late 2017. By mid-2018 the consented scheme was under offer to M&G Real Estate as a forward-funded development reportedly valued at about £100 million. Construction began in 2019. 2025 fire At roughly 17:20pm BST on 20 May 2025, the Avon Fire and Rescue Service (AF&RS) were called to a fire that broke out in a block of flats located on the Castle Park View development facing Marybush Lane. The fire service sent teams from the Temple, Bedminster, Southmead, Kingswood, Patchway and Avonmouth areas to aid in the situation. 10 residents on the fourth floor were rescued who were then treated for smoke inhalation; all residents of the development were accounted for with no other injuries were reported. The fire was put out shortly there after, however, 188 evacuated residents across 75 flats were unable to return to their homes for the next few days due to the development not having any power or water, in addition to suffering from water damage according to the tower block managers, Abri Housing Association. The stated cause of the fire was attributed to the accidental ignition of a charging electric bike or e-scooter. == Architecture ==

Castle Park View consists of a group of apartment blocks arranged around a central courtyard, with the main 26-storey tower and a lower block of about 10 storeys linked by intermediate ranges that continue the frontage towards Castle Park. Block C is the tower, which also measures about AOD. The scheme was set out with Block A at 10 storeys, Block B at 6 storeys, Block D at 5 storeys, and Block E at 6 and 7 storeys, with the tower (Block C) placed on the northern part of the site to preserve views and reduce overshadowing of both Castle Park and the internal amenity space. Chapman Taylor linked the long northern frontage with the line of the old castle wall, while the 6-metre castellated crown at the summit was intended as an allusion to the fortifications that once occupied the site. Castle Park View was the first commercial development to connect to Bristol's district heat network. Heat is drawn from the Floating Harbour by a water-source heat pump at Castle Park and distributed to connected buildings through underground pipes. The scheme also incorporated photovoltaic panels and brown roofs intended to support biodiversity. == Use and reception ==

The completed development contains 300 private-rented flats and 75 affordable homes. Of the affordable homes, 17 were assigned for shared ownership and 58 for rent through Bristol's HomeChoice system, in a separate block managed by Abri. When the first lettings were announced in 2022, the asking rents for the private units drew criticism in the context of Bristol's housing crisis. From the planning stage onward, the tower stood at the centre of Bristol's argument over tall buildings. The Bristol Civic Society and the Old Market Community Association objected that a 26-storey tower on the site would harm the street scene and detract from the Old Market Conservation Area. In 2024 the campaign group Bristol Views cited Castle Park View as the first completed example of the city's new generation of high-rises and called for a halt to further tall buildings. Another point of criticism concerned the treatment of the affordable block. During development the scheme was presented as avoiding the visible separation associated with some mixed-tenure schemes, but after completion residents in the affordable block complained that they were excluded from several communal amenities in the main tower, including the dining room, concierge, and rooftop terrace. == See also ==