Swindon & Wiltshire News
Bristol’s ageing Galleries shopping centre could be demolished under new proposals
Bristol’s ageing Galleries shopping centre could be demolished under new proposals unveiled by Bristol-based developer Deeley Freed and La Salle Investment Management.
The developers say footfall in the shopping centre, which opened in 1991, was down 35 per cent from pre-pandemic levels. The centre had already taken a hit after the opening of the new 120-unit Cabot Circus shopping centre was opened in 2008.
The developers are holding consultation events on July 13, 14 and 16 to see what locals would like to see on the site. They hope to convert 30 per cent of the five acres of the city centre that The Galleries occupies into “high-quality public realm with new civic spaces”.
The proposals also include restaurants, shops, community facilities and leisure destinations that support the day and night-time economy, office space, a hotel, open market and affordable homes and student living in “a truly mixed-use and diverse scheme.”
The developers add that “Broadmead currently turns it back on Castle Park which is a missed opportunity. The proposals look to reverse this along Newgate with new, vibrant pedestrian linkages into the city centre as well as terraces, with cafes and restaurants facing the park.”
“We’d like to emphasise that we are at an early stage and the Galleries will remain open as usual for at least the next two years. We’d encourage people to continue to shop and support their local traders” said a spokesperson.
