Developers behind controversial Clifton zoo site take on £10m former special school development
A large former special school site close to the Downs in Bristol has been sold – and the buyers are working with the same housebuilders at the centre of the controversial redevelopment of the former Bristol Zoo site.
The old St Christopher’s School in Westbury Park occupies a large site behind the grand Georgian houses that line the eastern side of the Downs. It’s been the subject of a big battle to, first, save the school or reopen it as an education facility, and then to try to save it for the community.
When it was put on the market for £10m a year ago it was said to be Bristol’s most expensive property sale, and now it’s been sold, local campaigners have told the new owners they are ready to work together to redevelop it in a ‘low impact’ way.
The site has been bought by London-based property group Square Bay, who have announced they will be working with Acorn Property Group, whose offices are a short distance away on the south side of the Downs.
Acorn Property Group are currently the subject of ongoing weekly protests every Wednesday outside their offices, by local residents of Clifton campaigning to try to stop their plans to build almost 200 new homes on the site of the former Clifton Zoo.
The St Christopher’s Action Network (SCAN) group said they were ‘sending a strong message’ to Square Bay and Acorn Property Group, that they want to work with them on the plans for St Christopher’s.
READ MORE: The £10m school site that could be Bristol’s most valuable property saleREAD MORE: Families say St Christopher’s School site is ‘crying out’ for protection
“We hope Acorn can hear us loud and clear!” said SCAN spokesperson Robin Hambleton. “We want you to listen to the views from our community.
“Families living here want a scheme that is low rise, low density and low impact. Any new plans MUST protect road safety, especially for our local children walking to school, as well as preserve the unique character of our neighbourhood,” he added.
“We are all bruised by the disaster of the previous planning application so we hope the new developers recognise this is a sensitive site that needs a lot of thought,” he said.
“Of course we want to see this site brought back to life – and to serve the community as it once did. We look forward to making sure this happens by working together with all the people who care about this special place. We do not want to be left with a scheme that only delivers profit for the developers rather than benefits to the community,” he added.
The site of the former St Christopher’s School in Westbury Park, Bristol(Image: Google Earth)
The five-acre site includes five large villas that front onto Westbury Park, as well as the unique, hexagonal and listed Grace House building that was the heart of the old special needs school.
St Christopher’s School was a school for children with special educational needs for more than 70 years, but in 2020 it shut down suddenly at the centre of an abuse scandal. It was put on the market last year when a firm that bought it to redevelop it went bust without putting any plans into action.
In 2024, local residents obtained an Asset of Community Value status for the site – which gave them first refusal when it was put up for sale. But SCAN say even though they didn’t buy it themselves, they should have a say in what happens to it now.
READ MORE: St Christopher’s School in Westbury Park up for sale againREAD MORE: Special school firm settles out of court with pupil after Bristol abuse scandal
“Crucially, now the site is protected as an Asset of Community Value, any new development has to honour the legacy of more than 70 years of special education that the school gave our city and ensure the site delivers social value for the local community in the future,” added Robin Hambleton.
“SCAN will be pushing for local families to be at the heart of any new plans and has prepared a planning brief with a broad overview to guide the future owner – calling for any development to be low rise, low density and low impact.
“It asks the new owner to not overdevelop the site, protect the ecology of the land, safeguard road safety and traffic on our streets, offer development that blends in with the existing two-storey housing in this Conservation Area, and honour the legacy of the St Christopher’s School by enabling the site to deliver social value in the future,” he added.
A general view of St Christopher’s School site in Bristol(Image: SCAN)
A spokesperson for Square Bay said that although it’s early days, they hope their plans will align with SCAN’s.
“Square Bay’s completion of the purchase of St Christopher’s in Westbury Park marks the start of a new chapter for this historic site in Bristol,” he said.
“We appreciate the previous proposals have left local people feeling concerned about what will happen to the site, and what is being proposed. We believe there is a real opportunity to deliver a redevelopment of the site that is sympathetic to what local residents are asking for, and which respects the development brief produced by St Christopher’s Action Network (SCAN).
“The Square Bay team is working in partnership with Acorn Property Group to deliver the scheme and are already in discussions with SCAN, Westbury Park Community Association (WPCA), and other neighbouring residents.
St Christopher’s School, Wesbury Park, designed in the 1960s for children with disabilities(Image: Bristol Post)
“We look forward to working with these groups and neighbours as well as the wider community over the coming weeks and months in preparing a planning application which – as far as possible – reflects the community’s wishes while also meeting the council’s requirements.
“We believe this site – which has now been vacant and deteriorating for several years – can be brought back into life, with a sensitive redevelopment of handsome renovated and new homes set in beautiful grounds.
“In the meantime, we wanted to let our neighbours know that we are now making the site safe by improving the security measures. Details of the public consultation will be shared in due course. We look forward to meeting as many of our neighbours as possible in the coming months, to discuss our plans and hear the community’s feedback,” he added.
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