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Will this be Bristol’s most exclusive venue?
People could soon be seen drying off with a drink in their hand after a dip in Bristol’s first rooftop pool with 360 degree views of the city.
The Guildhall on Broad Street could become a 92-suite four or five star hotel with spa, restaurant and bar, as well as a roof terrace which transforms into an “elegant evening venue”, under plans now recommended for approval by the city council.
The pool and terrace will sit on top of a new two-storey, glass-fronted extension on the original 1843 Grade II* listed building.
The hotel complex also includes the adjacent Grade I listed Bank of England on Broad Street which will be renovated, with a new walkway opened up leading to Small Street.
The project will also include demolition of much of the 1960s fabric of the Guildhall complex, rebuilt after it was bombed during World War Two.
The roof terrace will be open to guests and members of the public in the day, according to the planning application, which will be considered at a public meeting next Wednesday.
“During the evening the terrace will be used in conjunction with the ground floor bar, and the pool will form the backdrop to an elegant evening venue the quality of which is not currently available in Bristol,” the application says.
The Guildhall building, built in 1843, has been empty since the county court relocated to Redlcliffe in 2011. There had been a guildhall on the site since 1348. The Bank of England building dates back to 1848.
The plans for the new hotel and roof terrace have been recommended for approval by planners.
Councillors will discuss the plans before voting on them at a committee meeting on October 28.
The proposals are being put forward by developers The Osborne Group, a specialist in renovations, based in Bath. Designs are being developed by architects from Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios.
Pictures from Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios and Bristol Record Office.
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