Planning approved for Bristol Soapworks development

Bristol City Council has granted planning permission and listed building consent to developer First Base for the £175M regeneration of the Soapworks site.

Comprising workspace, homes, and retail and food outlets, the new district will include two new buildings alongside the sensitive restoration of the Grade II listed Soapworks building, originally a soap factory dating back to the 1860s.

The scheme will deliver 13,000m² of flexible workspace, as well as up to 243 new Build-to-Rent homes (with 20% affordable) and what is claimed to be Bristol’s first purpose-built food hall.

The development, which has been masterplanned by Woods Bagot, will be set around a new public square including biodiverse green spaces, and will create new pedestrian and cycle routes to the city’s commercial centre at Temple Quay and the cultural quarter at Old Market.

Lucinda Mitchell, Project Director at First Base, said: “We are excited to move forward with the regeneration of the Soapworks site, which will restore one of Bristol’s landmark buildings and create a new green mixed-use district in the heart of the city.

“The scheme will help drive Bristol’s economic recovery from COVID-19 by delivering the modern flexible workspace needed in the city, where demand in the past twelve months has been strong as corporates shift to a decentralised ‘hub and spoke’ office model.

“Soapworks will be a live, work, play neighbourhood, with high quality homes and a new ecology of independent retailers, food operators and cafes, as well as cultural uses, to attract and retain talent in the city centre.

“We are already seeing strong demand for the workspace and homes and look forward to working with Bristol City Council and the local community to deliver this exciting project.”