Members of Bristol City Council's Planning Committee have unanimously backed plans for what is one of the largest mixed use development schemes in the South West.

Squarepeg is delighted to have been granted approval on the Chocolate Factory development and would like to thank all the people who supported the scheme over the past year.

In backing the scheme, the Planning Committee also recognised the advantages it will deliver both for the local area and for Bristol.

Despite the financial pressures of the current market, Squarepeg has refused to reduce its commitment to high levels of sustainability within the development arguing that this approach sets the benchmark for the development and being part of the core ethos of the site.

£1.5 million has been committed for sustainability measures which include a woodchip burning Biomass boiler for the CHP. New homes which strive for Level 5 of the new Code for Sustainable Homes (C4SH), photo voltaics that generate electricity, rain water harvesting and solar thermal panels.

The offices within the existing buildings will also strive for a BREEAM (BRE Environmental Assessment Method) excellent rating. One of the measurable results of these commitments will be a 26% C02 reduction over a conventional development solution.

This exciting an intelligent scheme will set a new bench mark for sustainable development in Bristol which can also create uupwards of 300 construction jobs and a further 400 ongoing employment opportunities.