News 06.05.2021

Plans approved for the restoration of the historic Soapworks in Bristol into a landmark green mixed-use district.

Bristol City Council has granted planning permission and listed building consent for developer First Base’s £175 million transformation of the Grade II-listed Soapworks into a vibrant mixed-use district on the edge of Bristol city centre.

Masterplanned and designed by Woods Bagot, the Soapworks district will comprise two new buildings alongside the sensitive restoration of the Grade II-listed Soapworks building, originally a soap factory dating back to the 1860s, providing around 243 new Build-to-Rent homes, high-quality workspace and Bristol’s first purpose-built food hall with space for established restaurants, pop-ups and market stalls, set within an enhanced public realm by Gillespies.

The public realm will create a bustling heart for this new district through various inclusive social spaces that will entice residents, visitors and businesses to the area. Our proposals deliver a network of high-quality pedestrian and cycle links, sustainable shared open green spaces and residential courtyards that will naturally open up the once redundant site, improving connections from Temple Meads to Old Market, and providing memorable, healthy and engaging spaces that offer residents opportunities for social interaction, play, exercise and relaxation.