Hammerson, joint venture owner and development manager of Cabot Circus, has submitted plans to redevelop land next to Cabot Circus car park into student accommodation for up to 600 units. With 70 acres of strategic land across the portfolio, Hammerson’s plans in Bristol are part of a wider strategy to maximizes value and opportunities while enhancing the quality of its estates, public realm and community infrastructure.
Following public pre-consultation, community engagement and close alignment with Bristol City Council, the outline plans also include a multi-purpose community pavilion, a pocket park and flexible outdoor amenity space. The plans aim to put pedestrians at the heart of the redevelopment with a new pedestrian route as well as a shared cycle lane. Extensive planting and landscaping will provide new green spaces for the community to use and enjoy.
Hammerson’s wider redevelopment plans for Bristol already include repositioning and re-letting investment in Quakers Friars, with planning agreed earlier this year to improve the public realm, add more commercial uses and deliver a new cultural exchange for the city.
Meanwhile, M&S is set to launch its 80,000 sq ft store later this year at Cabot Circus following £21m of investment including its latest M&S Food offering, and last week UNIQLO was secured for a major new regional flagship store. ODEON is also due to open in 2026, joining leisure offers such as King Pins Bowl and Treetop Golf, all part of Hammerson’s vision to curate a buzzing, multi-use destination in the heart of Bristol.
Jonatan Carlring, Development Director at Hammerson, commented: "These latest plans represent a significant enhancement to Bristol and have been developed closely to align to Bristol City Council’s vision for the city centre and Frome Gateway. As well as delivering high quality student accommodation and a statement building for the city, the plans include extensive green spaces, better cycle and walking routes and more community uses. It all ties in with our plans for Hammerson’s wider Bristol estate and matches the momentum we’re already delivering at Cabot Circus and Quaker’s Friars.”
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Notes to Editors
Hammerson is the largest UK-listed, pure-play owner and manager of prime retail and leisure anchored city destinations across the UK, France and Ireland.
We own, manage and invest in landmark city destinations integrating retail, leisure and community hubs to meet evolving customer and occupier needs while delivering sustainable long-term growth for our stakeholders. Our 10 city locations rank in the top 20 of all retail venues across our geographies and in the top 1% where retail spend is concentrated. Our catchment reach of 40 million people attracts 170 million visitors per annum, generating £3 billion of sales for our brand partners. www.hammerson.com.