News / Housing
‘Striking landmark’ to be built on Debenhams site
The site of the former Debenhams is set to be completely transformed with a major new development featuring a 28-storey tower that will dramatically change the skyline of the city centre.
More than 500 flats will form part of the development on The Horsefair as part of a scheme called Barr’s Street, named after a street set to be reinstated as part of the plans.
“It’s going to be very oppresive,” said Green Party councillor Paula O’Rourke, who voted against the development which was approved with a majority decision by elected members.
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Tory councillor, Richard Eddy, called it “a good and positive scheme deserving of our support”. He added: “Space needs to be given over to productive housing need.”
Other councillors also approved of the number of affordable units contained within the scheme and the fact that it was not student accommodation.
The former Debenhams overlooks the Bearpit – photo: Martin Booth
The approved scheme will “massively improve the vibrancy of the city centre” said Bristol City Council’s chief planner, Simone Wilding, with representatives from the developers saying it will “bring back to life” this corner of the city centre.
Developers promise that the development will “bring life and activation to this city centre location”, with new ground floor commercial spaces proposed on the corners of The Horsefair, the Bearpit roundabout and along the new Barr’s Street.
“The proposals would see more than 500 new homes set above a lively, new, 18-metre-wide tree-lined pedestrian retail street – reinstating the historic Barr’s Street – connecting Broadmead to the Bearpit,” say developers, whose target is for 20 per cent of the homes to be affordable apartments to rent.
“Broadmead retailers will be among the beneficiaries of an increase in spending of £11m a year, with hundreds of additional people living, spending and socialising in the heart of Bristol’s shopping district.”
Barr’s Street will become a “striking landmark and a new gateway to Broadmead” say its developers, with the 28-storey tower set to become Bristol’s tallest building and having the same number of storeys as the recently approved tower on the site of what is currently the Premier Inn only a few hundred yards away.
Speaking in opposition to the proposal, Simon Hickman from Historic England said: “Our ambitions should be high but our ambition should not be at the cost of what makes Bristol special… this scheme risks the erosion of that special character… the scheme falls short of the quality that Bristol deserves.”
Main image: AWW
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