Plans have been submitted to Bristol City Council for a massive redevelopment of part of the Broadmead shopping centre, including demolishing some outdated shops and building new retail units, bars, restaurants and apartments.
Broadmead owner the Bristol Alliance, which also owns Cabot Circus and Quakers Friars, said the redevelopment would “reinvigorate” a large area around Penn Street and The Horsefair and create thousands of jobs. 
Parts of Broadmead date back to the 1950s, when retail units were used in a very different way – typically with ground-floor shops and stock rooms and staff facilities on the upper floors.
The ‘new Broadmead’ would offer a mix of shops, restaurants, cafes, bars, leisure and open spaces, the Bristol Alliance said, creating a modern shopping district in the heart of the city. The new units would have more flexible space suitable to address the massive shift towards leisure, eating and drinking uses as well as retail that characterises modern shopping centre.
In total, the plans include nearly 102,500 sq m of new retail and leisure space, up to 150 apartments and new landscaping and access roads.
If it gets the green light from planners it will be the biggest redevelopment in the city centre’s retail heart since the 90-unit Cabot Circus scheme opened in 2008.
Computer-generated images released today by the Bristol Alliance – a 50:50 joint venture between Hammerson and AXA Real Estate Investors – also reveal major improvements to the road layout, including a redesigned Horsefair and Penn Street that offers a more pleasant environment for pedestrians with buses and cars re-routed.
The Podium – probably the most recognisable landmark in Bristol Shopping Quarter – will remain a feature in the transformed centre. The public space will be improve, making it easier to walking between Cabot Circus and Broadmead.
Initial plans for the Broadmead upgrade were put on public display for a month in the summer as part of a wider consultation process.
Cabot Circus centre manager Stephanie Lacey said: “We were overwhelmed by the positive feedback and support we received through our public consultation in the summer on our plans to redevelop Broadmead. We have taken these comments on board and used them to help shape the plans.
“We fully support a ‘city centre first’ approach to new development and, as the South West’s regional capital, we believe that Bristol deserves a first-class shopping and leisure offer. We are delighted to be moving to the next stage in the redevelopment with the submission of our outline planning application to Bristol City Council.”
Results of the public consultation undertaken on the Broadmead plans showed huge support for the proposed redevelopment, with 94% of respondents in support of the regeneration.
The consultation results also showed that three quarters of respondents said they would like to see improved bus waiting facilities.
People also wanted to see new high street shops and brands not currently in Bristol, better public spaces for people to meet and relax, easier walking routes and more evening attractions.
Pictured, top: The entrance to the redeveloped Broadmead looking down Quakers Lane. Above left: The entrance from Debenhams looking up The Horsefair. Below: The red line marks the boundary of redevelopment
