{"id":1060255,"date":"2026-06-30T19:35:29","date_gmt":"2026-06-30T19:35:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/1060255\/"},"modified":"2026-06-30T19:35:29","modified_gmt":"2026-06-30T19:35:29","slug":"bristols-largest-co-living-development-to-date-unveiled-as-part-of-new-dawn-for-britains-saddest-shopping-centre","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/1060255\/","title":{"rendered":"Bristol’s largest ‘co-living’ development to date unveiled as part of new dawn for ‘Britain\u2019s Saddest Shopping Centre’"},"content":{"rendered":"

Developers will restart the stalled Bedminster Green project with tower blocks and young people’s specialist accommodation\"Illustration<\/p>\n

Illustration of the proposed co-living building next to St Catherine’s House and St Catherine’s Shopping Centre in Bedminster(Image: Corstorphine & Wright Architects)<\/p>\n

Plans to redevelop the area around what was labelled \u2018Britain\u2019s saddest shopping centre\u2019 have been renewed, changed and resurrected after they stalled for years with nothing getting built.<\/p>\n

New developers have revealed plans for two empty sites either side of the former St Catherine\u2019s Place shopping centre in South Bristol, which finally closed down a couple of years ago and saw its shops converted into flats.<\/p>\n

Its redevelopment, and building on the empty spaces either side of the shopping centre were a key part of the Bedminster<\/a> Green regeneration project, which has already seen more than 300 flats built next door at Little Paradise<\/a>, Bristol\u2019s biggest single student accommodation complex on the other side of the road at Dalby Avenue, and work on a second large-scale student accommodation complex well underway.<\/p>\n

Now, developers Galliard Homes and Apsley House Capital are about to unveil their plans for the two sites either side of St Catherine\u2019s House.<\/p>\n

The larger site, on Malago Road, was the location of the discovery of an 18th century mill, as seen on TV archaeology programme Digging for Britain earlier last year. It currently houses a temporary energy centre for Bedminster\u2019s District Heat Network, and five years ago, councillors gave permission for a block of flats to be built there.<\/p>\n

Now, developers want to build what would be Bristol\u2019s biggest \u2018co-living\u2019 development to date<\/a>. The plan is to build 267 \u2018co-living\u2019 homes, 28 of which would be \u2018accessible\u2019 in a tower block of a similar scale to the one planning permission has already been granted for.<\/p>\n

\u2018Co-living\u2019 is a new-ish and controversial concept in housing in Bristol<\/a>. It is similar to purpose-built student accommodation, with people having en-suite rooms but sharing communal spaces, but not for students.<\/p>\n

Some have already opened in converted buildings in Bristol, notably in the Old Market area, but city councillors controversially relaxed planning rules about the minimum amount space<\/a> a person can live in, to give the go-ahead to several large-scale \u2018co-living\u2019 builds in the past couple of years.<\/p>\n

One of the two tower blocks being built currently next to the Bearpit will be for around 142 \u2018co-living\u2019 homes, while permission has already been granted for 249 \u2018co-living\u2019 homes on the site of the Rupert Street NCP car park in the city centre.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The empty site that is part of the Bedminster Green Regeneration project, located between St Catherine’s House and Stafford Street – as seen from Malago Road(Image: Google Maps)<\/p>\n

The St Catherine\u2019s Place \u2018co-living\u2019 development will be even bigger – with 267 rooms on a site between two existing tower blocks opposite Bedminster Green on Malago Road.<\/p>\n

On the other side of St Catherine\u2019s House, on a smaller site which used to be public toilets and the underpass under the main road, the developers are proposing something a lot smaller.<\/p>\n

They are proposing a young person\u2019s housing scheme, which will provide homes for those who are homeless, at risk of homelessness, or transitioning to independent living.<\/p>\n

As part of a young persons\u2019 housing scheme, 12 studios will be positioned over two floors with shared amenity space below. The accommodation will be managed to provide support services such as help with life skills, mental health and wellbeing, education and employment.<\/p>\n

The Galliard Apsley Partnership is partnering with Bristol City Council<\/a> \u2019s Children\u2019s Services team to help meet a critical shortage of local young persons\u2019 housing.<\/p>\n

This part of the scheme has been backed by Dom Wood, the chief exec of Bristol\u2019s leading young person\u2019s homelessness organisation, 1625 Independent People.<\/p>\n

\u201cBristol is an expensive city and young people find it difficult to secure affordable accommodation and access entry level work here,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\"Illustration<\/p>\n

Illustration of the proposed young persons’ housing building next to St Catherine’s House and St Catherine’s Shopping Centre in Bedminster(Image: Corstorphine & Wright Architects)<\/p>\n

\u201cThis project will allow young people to have a secure base, where they will have dedicated support to stabilise their lives, to build the qualifications and skills they need to start a journey into work that fits their values, and gain independence for the future,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

A spokesperson for the developers said \u2018Co-living\u2019 would provide \u2018long-term stability\u2019 for people in \u2018self-contained studio apartments\u2019.<\/p>\n

\u201cCo-living is a modern housing model where residents rent self-contained studio apartments with their own kitchenette, bathroom, bed and living space,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut they also have a range of shared facilities and spaces where they can meet and socialise with other residents \u2013 this typically includes living rooms, larger kitchens and dining rooms, cinema rooms, and shared workspaces. Co-living offers long-term stability, with tenants living in a professionally managed, residential community,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

Getting the two sites either side of St Catherine\u2019s House developed will be a key part in unlocking the stalled Bedminster Green regeneration scheme, which has seen only build-to-rent flats and student flats built so far.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese two sites are central to the success of the Bedminster Green regeneration,\u201d the spokesperson for the developers explained.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A site on the corner of Dalby Avenue, next to St Catherine’s House, which is proposed to be developed into young people’s specialist housing(Image: Google Maps)<\/p>\n

\u201cAlthough planning permission has already been granted, they have remained vacant for several years, meaning they are not helping to meet Bristol\u2019s housing needs or contributing positively to the local area.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve worked closely with partners to develop proposals that make the sites viable, delivering much-needed homes while creating a better environment for the wider community. Alongside high-quality co-living accommodation, the young persons\u2019 housing scheme will provide supported homes for some of Bristol\u2019s most vulnerable young people.<\/p>\n

\u201cTogether, these uses will bring new life to the area, increasing footfall, supporting local businesses and helping complete this important part of the Bedminster Green regeneration. We look forward to hearing the community\u2019s feedback on our proposals,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u201dThe new proposals differ from the consented scheme in several ways, including that the young persons\u2019 housing scheme is just three storeys compared to a six-storey storey building that was previously granted planning permission.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs well as the new homes, the scheme would see a new pedestrian route through the site to East Street via Mill Lane, with more green spaces, separating the buildings from the street,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

The developers will need to submit a fresh planning application for both buildings, but first are consulting with local residents in Bedminster on their plans before an application to the council is submitted. Details of the proposals are here.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Developers will restart the stalled Bedminster Green project with tower blocks and young people’s specialist accommodation Illustration of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1060256,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[8818],"tags":[10139,381,3893,748,2266,393,4884,6332,6334,12717,10002,16,15],"class_list":["post-1060255","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-bristol","tag-bedminster","tag-bristol","tag-bristol-city-council","tag-britain","tag-education","tag-england","tag-great-britain","tag-homelessness","tag-housing-crisis","tag-planning","tag-south-bristol","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/116840742982700471","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1060255","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1060255"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1060255\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1060256"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1060255"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1060255"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1060255"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}