Ambitious plans unveiled for key city centre site

Two years after Bristol’s Debenhams shut its doors for the final time new proposals have been revealed for the key site.

The plans include more than 500 new homes set above a lively, new, tree-lined pedestrian retail street – reinstating the historic Barr’s Street – connecting Broadmead to the Bear Pit roundabout.

Developers say the scheme would transform the site into a green, attractive, safe and vibrant place with 1,420sq metres of the site opened up as public open space.

The target is for more than 100 of the homes to be affordable apartments to rent.

The plans can be seen at www.barrsstreetbristol.co.uk where people are being encouraged to provide feedback.

The team behind the proposals is also holding two consultation events on Monday 19th June: one at 12pm-4pm, outside the Debenhams store, and the other online at 6pm-7.30pm.

High Street retail has been in decline for more than a decade and was severely affected by the pandemic.  This decline in retail saw the closure of Debenhams in May 2021.

The slump on the high street is a significant challenge facing all areas of the UK including Bristol city centre. At the same time Bristol faces an ongoing housing crisis.

The Bristol team at AWW Architects has been commissioned to design a highly sustainable development that would see the site transformed with 520 new homes set above retail and community spaces.

A large part of the site would become public open space, with the historic Barr’s Street reinstated as a new 18-metre-wide pedestrian route connecting Bond Street and The Horsefair.

At 18 metres wide the new Barr’s Street matches the width of Merchant Street, the pedestrianised street that runs through Broadmead shopping centre.

Because of the significant 4.5 metre level change – dropping down towards The Horsefair -there will be a wheelchair and pushchair-friendly path through green landscaping. This will sit alongside a more direct route with sets of stairs.

With extensive landscaping and tree planting this new route would become a destination in its own right with cafes and restaurants on the pedestrianised street.

Currently the existing building prevents any movement through the site.

The proposed redevelopment – which would see the existing and two smaller adjacent buildings removed – would transform the site.

The scheme would see an increase of 50 per cent in so-called ‘active frontages’, with ground floor commercial spaces proposed on the corners of The Horsefair, St James Barton roundabout frontage and along the new Barr’s Street.

One of the ground floor spaces would be made available to a new, local independent business at a discounted rent.

A two storey community space – fronting onto St James Barton roundabout – is also proposed. This could include a new library and or health centre.

The scheme includes buildings set either side of the 18 metre wide Barr’s Street. These buildings are between nine and 12 storeys, with the upper storeys set back, mimicking the Primark building.

One taller 28 storey building is proposed as a new northern gateway into Broadmead. This building faces towards St James Barton roundabout where the buildings are much taller, not least the existing 20-storey Premier Inn building, where there is a proposal to redevelop to 28 storeys.

It is proposed that the scheme would connect to the Bristol Heat Network, with 400sqm of solar panels and air source heat pumps.