Bristol Debenhams will be demolished as giant new tower block approved

Plans have been approved for a giant new tower block in Bristol city centre and the demolition of Debenhams. The former department store has laid empty for three years and will be knocked down to make way for 500 new apartments, in several buildings with the tallest 28 storeys high.

Developers 33 Horsefair Ltd now have planning permission from Bristol City Council for their major scheme on the Horsefair by the Bearpit roundabout. They will build 502 flats, 100 of which will be classed as “affordable”, with 75 of these social rent and 25 shared ownership.

Over 100 people objected to the plans, largely due to the height of the tallest tower. Several urged the development control A committee on Wednesday, April 24 to refuse permission, due to the perceived harm to views across the city centre, and loss of the 1950s department store.

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Kim Hicks said: “Bristol needs housing, but not like this. Imagine mid and low rise places for people to live, close to the park and the river, not overlooking a busy road with the awful associated air quality. Please stop the rot of these mountainous high rises.

“Don’t allow desperate people wanting a home to end up with something that is just better than nothing. Would you want to live in that building?”

Debenhams closed down in 2021 after the company went into administration. The plans include creating a new street connecting the Bearpit to the Horsefair, running through the site, with shops, bars, cafes and restaurants on the ground floor.

Charlie Royle, director of 33 Horsefair Ltd, said: “Bristol faces an enormous housing crisis. For this site, a housing-led mixed use redevelopment is the only answer. We’re proposing more than 500 new homes, set along a tree-lined pedestrian retail street. One hundred of those homes will be affordable.

“Our proposal would repurpose the site into a green, attractive, safe, and vibrant place to live, work and socialise, with an additional £11 million a year spending going towards the struggling Broadmead.”

Over half the flats will have windows on only one side, with nine per cent of the flats being both single aspect and north-facing, creating concerns about a lack of sunlight. Other concerns included the potential for strong winds along the north street, with the new tall towers creating a canyon effect.

At 28 storeys tall, the tower block will be one of the tallest buildings in Bristol. Last month, separate developers were also given permission to knock down the Premier Inn, also on the Bearpit, and replace it with two tower blocks of apartments, with one also 28 storeys tall. Bristol Civic Society has since mounted a legal challenge, due to the height of the tower.

Councillors on the committee were split about the plans. A majority voted in favour of the new homes, while Greens voted against the plans.