A resolution to grant planning permission, has been granted to AEW, to transform the former Debenhams department store in Bristol into a residential led mixed-use development, which will comprise more than 500 new rental homes, of which 100 will be affordable.

The project will regenerate the site on the edge of Bristol’s Broadmead shopping district into a new pedestrianised, tree-lined street, comprising retail and hospitality space. 10% of the retail will be made available to local independent businesses at an affordable, discounted rent.

Charles Royle, Portfolio Manager, AEW, said: “This is an important new landmark scheme for Bristol, providing much needed private and affordable housing, and a huge step forward in the regeneration of the site and wider Broadmead area.  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’s Street.  With four communal roof terraces, excellent amenities, and the connection to the Bristol Heat Network, it will be a model scheme for Bristol.”

The proposals will also reinstate the medieval Barr’s Street, which was lost when the Debenhams store was constructed in the 1950s and will connect Broadmead to the Bearpit, a key requirement of the Council’s recently endorsed Development Delivery Plan for the city centre.

The regeneration of the site will also deliver an anticipated £11m boost to the local economy per year, with hundreds of additional people living, spending and socialising in the heart of Bristol’s shopping district. The project will also support 264 new jobs, and an additional 380 construction jobs during the building works.