New plans for Park Hill

Here are some of the displays from the exhibition (which closes at 7.30pm today, Thursday Feb 8th) about the latest plans for Park Hill.

It is good that a condition of tenancy for the students will be that they should not have a car. It remains to be seen how well this will be enforced, but if students do have cars and leave them parked outside local resident’s houses, I was told that if they are reported they will lose their tenancy.

Again, we are promised new shops, but this promise is wearing a bit thin as it has been ongoing for several years. The good news is the unit next door to the old Scottish Queen pub is currently being fitted out as an independent cafe which should be opening soon. Let’s hope useful shops will soon follow. I believe that the Coop are looking for new premises and that would be a great asset to the community. But we also desperately need a decent fruit and veg shop.

The student accommodation is scheduled to open for the autumn term of 2020. By then we may have left Europe and who knows what the demand for student flats will be if the UK is a less welcoming place for foreign students. The developers are taking a risk, but let’s hope the development is successful for the sake of our area. This section of Park Hill has been empty far too long, and when so many are homeless we need to ensure the flats are put to good use. 

The other main criticism is the lack of renewable energy. The roof would be ideal for a solar farm that could significantly contribute to providing the building with the energy it needs. It is a shame the developers haven’t included this in the plans. The developers argue that the block will be heated from the incinerator on Bernard Road, but the addition of solar panels would complement this.