AEW has obtained planning consent to convert Bristol’s former Debenhams store into a residential-led mixed-use scheme containing more than 500 rental homes.
The site, which is located on the edge of the Broadmead shopping district, will also contain retail and hospitality space, with 10% available to independent businesses at a reduced rent. Of the new homes, 100 will be made available at affordable rental levels.
The plans will also create a pedestrianised street linking Broadmead to an urban space known as the Bearpit, which was a requirement laid out in the council’s development delivery plan for Bristol city centre. It will mean the reintroduction of Barr Street, which was lost when the store was built in the 1950s.
AEW bought the site in 2022 through its Urban Real Estate Fund. It plans to install some 4,305 sq ft of solar panels as well as air source heat pumps.
Charles Royle, portfolio manager at AEW, said, “We saw an opportunity to regenerate this underutilised urban building and invest in the creation of a vibrant new area offering a mix of rental housing, as well as retail and community spaces, including the new landscaped Barr Street.
“With four communal roof terraces, excellent amenities, and the connection to the Bristol Heat Network, it will be a model scheme for Bristol.”
Image courtesy of AEW
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