Who is Bristol's Chief Planner Simone Wilding Really Working For? Joe Banks Bristol corruption 3of3

Who is Bristol's Chief Planner working for? As Simone Wilding warns councillors not to challenge major developments, a look at her LinkedIn activity reveals the close relationships she's been cultivating with the city’s developers and lobbyists Joe Banks May 15, 2026 1of3 Planning Corruption at the Heart of Bristol: The Story of St Mary Le Port Castle Park 2of3 How Bristol's Tallest Building will be linked to Israel's Atrocities It had seemed that the developers wanting to build the tallest ever building in south Bristol were going to have to go back to the drawing board. In January this year, a planning committee of councillors refused a proposal for a 23-storey block of student flats in the Victorian inner-urban district of Bedminster, still largely characterised by low-rise residential terraces and light industrial uses. Members had voted 5-3 against the scheme - a high-density mix of 400 Purpose-Built Student Accommodation (PBSA) units, 434 Build-to-Rent flats and commercial floorspace. As the council’s procedure dictates, officers were instructed to come back to the following meeting with written-up reasons for refusal. The councillors had refused the planning application on the grounds of over-intensive development and harm to the skyline, including the setting of the Grade 1 listed heritage asset St Mary Redcliffe church. There was also the issue of poor design: 55% of rooms do not meet the British Research Establishment’s guidance for sunlight and more than half...