There’s no roof and the bright yellow signs attached to the metal security fences warn passers-by to ‘keep out - demolition in progress’. But there’s currently no sign of demolition work being carried out at the former bank on the corner of Gloucester Road and Longmead Avenue.
In fact, neighbours say there’s no sign of anything happening at all on this prime spot. What was once an attractive Edwardian-built bank, and then an employment agency, appears to have been left exposed to the elements.
The building once used on a daily basis by locals is now a gutted shell. The roof has been removed completely and the glass has gone from all seven windows on the first floor.
READ MORE: Three new Bristol restaurants shortlisted in national awards
It’s now six years since approval was granted to convert the building into nine luxury flats and a ground-floor cafe. The planning application included a change of use and the extension of the existing first floor, with the addition of two storeys within the roof and roof extension.
Permission was granted on December 29, 2016 to applicant Omid Jalil Golshan-Zadeh. It's understood building work began in 2019, only to be put on hold during the pandemic.
Now the project seems to have been paused or abandoned completely. Now roofless and surrounded with security fences, this prominent building close to Horfield Prison is now seen as an eyesore on Gloucester Road and local residents are wondering what will happen next.
Architect Richard Castor Jeffery lives nearby and says he’s worried that this could be ‘another Bristol North Baths’ - a reference to another landmark Gloucester Road building that was empty for more than a decade between closing and being finally redeveloped.
He said: “It may be that it will be completed, but it’s not had any work done on it for over a year. I'm very concerned that this building is now at risk of being lost to the local area. Although the building was empty for several years before work started, it was a building of quality and character with bags of potential for the future of this busy part of Gloucester Road.
"Work started on the demolition of parts of the building just before the start of the pandemic, hidden from view behind scaffolding and tarpaulin screen. This seemed to grind to a halt fairly quickly and never restarted, even after the lifting of Covid restrictions.
"Just recently, the scaffolding has been removed to reveal the gutted and scarred shell, with no roof and most of the interior ripped out. The internal floor appears to be completely exposed to the elements and windows are missing on all sides.
"I'm hugely concerned that the developer has now 'disappeared', leaving the building in this shocking condition. The longer it remains unprotected, the more difficult and expensive it's going to be to put it back together again."
Bristol Live has attempted to make contact with the applicant for clarity on what is happening with the site and who is responsible for the development.
Read next:
