AGM secured planning permission for the sensitive redevelopment of the former Merchant’s Arms on Avery Road, Bristol, transforming a long-vacant locally listed public house into a mixed-use scheme comprising ground floor offices, a community café and a 9-bedroom HMO. The site had been vacant since 2016 and had previously been subject to a dismissed appeal, making the approval a significant planning outcome for a constrained and locally valued building.
A key part of AGM’s strategy was to support a proposal that responded to local needs while respecting the building’s Art Deco character, including its distinctive curved frontage, brick façades and historic public house identity.
Following detailed consultation and technical review, the scheme was refined to address heritage, flood risk, drainage, highways and access matters, while retaining the core benefits of the project. The approved development will bring the building back into active use, deliver new employment space and secure a community café as part of the site’s renewed role within the local area.
