The regeneration project will demolish the failing 1990s Galleries shopping centre in Bristols Broadmead quarter, redeveloping the site to create a sustainable urban quarter that will stand the test of time.AHMMs mixed-use masterplan for the 2.5ha site includes up to 450 homes (minimum 20 per cent affordable), 750 student housing units, 40,000m of office space, 6,000m of restaurants and bars, hotel space and community and cultural uses. It also contains new leisure space, an exhibition hall, 0.6ha of new open public space and a public hub with bike parking and charging facilities.Major features of the masterplan, submitted in May 2024, include a 22-storey residential tower at the junction of Union Street and Newgate and an energy centre connecting to the planned Bristol heat network. Aside from the tower, new buildings broadly range from 6 to 13 storeys.Advertisement Source:AHMMAHMMs proposed redevelopment of Bristol Broadmead/ The Galleries: View from Merchant StreetThe proposal was submitted last May for Bristol-based developer Deeley Freed and real estate investment manager La Salle.The project also involves minor remediation works to the Grade II*-listed Merchant Taylors Almshouses one of Bristols earliest brick buildings, dating back to 1701 as well as the Grade II-listed Greyhound hotel, both of which sit within the regeneration site.Bristol City Councils planning committee unanimously approved a hybrid planning application for the project on Wednesday evening (29 January), permitting full demolition of existing buildings on the site and outline planning permission for its phased redevelopment.The permission is subject to Section 106 contributions to the value of 5.5 million from the applicant.The existing 1991 Galleries shopping centre incorporates three enclosed storeys of shops and a four-storey car park with 1,007 car parking spaces. But Bristol planning officers described it as a failing and deficient retail asset with limited architectural merit' and increasing vacancy rates, saying it was a barrier to regeneration in Broadmead.AdvertisementThe officers said AHMMs plans would improve the vitality, vibrancy and diversity of uses within the primary shopping area in Bristol, as well as making a significant contribution to housing trajectory targets. Source:AHMMAHMMs proposed redevelopment of Bristol Broadmead/ The Galleries: AxoThe proposals have been in the pipeline since at least 2020, and have undergone extensive pre-application engagement with Bristol City Council and other statutory consultees.Changes to the proposal following various consultations include significant reductions in height, massing and positioning of buildings, and improved quality and character of the public realm, according to Bristols planning department.There were 19 objections to the application, including from groups such as the Bristol Civic Society and the Georgian Group, which raised concerns over the scale of the development and the significant carbon emissions it would create including the major release of embodied carbon from the existing building.Objectors also raised fears about added strain on healthcare facilities and congestion in Bristol city centre and the impact on heritage buildings (including the almshouses) and the neighbouring Castle Park. Source:AHMM AHMMs proposed redevelopment of Bristol Broadmead/ The Galleries: View from Castle ParkBut, recommending the scheme for approval, Bristol planning officers concluded that its significant public benefits outweighed any harm caused.In a design and access statement, AHMM said the regeneration scheme would deliver robust, quality public realm spaces fit for the 21st century, which would enhance engagement and connection with the city.The practice said the scheme had been shaped by a number of significant existing physical constraints, including the existing basement and structure, which will be retained, and heritage assets which will be incorporated and celebrated.AHMM director Stephen Taylor said: A unanimous vote at planning committee is a fantastic endorsement for the Galleries redevelopment project. This decision illustrates the citys support for the much-needed redevelopment of the Broadmead area and sends a positive message that Bristol is open for business.The existing multistorey car park and inward-facing shopping centre was inflexibly designed for single use and is therefore unable to support the radical change that is needed to create a new neighbourhood.We have retained the ground floor, basement, and substructure to make carbon savings where possible, and from that we have created a new, truly mixed-use scheme, that will revitalise the area and bring long-term benefits to the city.