News

CSJ Planning have obtained planning and listed building consent for a large new restaurant comprising 100 covers in the heart of Clifton Village, Bristol. The restaurant will be occupied by ‘Wildwood’, a small chain based in London and the South East, offering high class family dining. The site, a conjoined ground floor unit formerly occupied by a bathroom retailer has been vacant since October 2012. It is located on the western side of Regent Street, around 1km north of Bristol City Centre. The unit is particularly spacious for this area of Clifton and was well suited for a larger retailer or restaurant user. A marketing campaign stretching back to 2012 did not bring forward any retail interest. This is largely due to the relatively low level of footfall on the eastern side of Regent Street and the change in retail patterns towards online shopping The buildings are both Grade II Listed and are located within a Secondary Shopping Frontage, as well as the wider Clifton and Hotwells Conservation Area. Quentin Alder Architects prepared a sensitive scheme design to convert the building from A1 to A3 use and enhance the historic value of the building. A full planning application was submitted in August 2013. Given Regent Street’s status as a Secondary Shopping Frontage, CSJ carried out a thorough retail survey of Regent Street and the wider Clifton Centre to establish the concentration of existing retail uses. The results of the survey were analysed to produce a persuasive argument in favour of the proposed change of use. The Local Planning Authority Officers agreed that the retail ‘centre of gravity’ would remain in Clifton Centre, taking into account the proposed change of use. A comprehensive ventilation and extraction system was designed to achieve near odourless and silent operation. The application received numerous letters of support and limited objection. It was duly reported to Committee in late January where members unanimously voted in favour of granting consent. Wildwood Restaurants, the new operators, are a successful and well respected operator. The landowner, Fivemews Ltd, looks forward to helping them open this business later this year.

11 February 2014

Categories      Commercial