Historic Bristol tobacco warehouses could be reborn as homes in Western Harbour shake-up

This year Goram Homes is planning to start detailed design work for one of the warehouses, with almost 100 apartments planned.

The A Bond and B Bond warehouses were originally used to store tobacco before import duties were paid. Detailed design for the A Bond warehouse will be worked up this year, while the B Bond warehouse will be explored but is at an earlier stage in the process.

The A Bond sits at the end of the Chocolate Path and is used by the council for storage, while the B Bond is on the other side of the road and is home to the Bristol Archives. A third warehouse, the C Bond, is owned by a storage company and is not in the development plans.

Goram’s latest pipeline of housing developments was approved by councillors on the strategy and resources policy committee on Monday, June 16. Details of the pipeline were set out in a report to the committee, including the two historic warehouses built over a century ago.

Referring to the A Bond warehouse, the report said: “The Grade-II listed former tobacco warehouse could be turned into new homes and other mixed uses in an historic heart of Bristol. The warehouse is part of the Western Harbour Regeneration Area and is currently used by Bristol City Council for various storage requirements.

“Goram Homes will continue to work alongside Bristol City Council to ensure they can reflect the requirements of the masterplan in any discussions with possible partners. Goram Homes are now engaging with possible partners to develop this site and submit a full planning application.”

No planning applications have been submitted yet for the warehouses. 96 homes would be built in the A Bond warehouse, of which 58 would be for sale, 29 for social rent, and nine for affordable home ownership. It’s unclear how many would be built in the B Bond warehouse.

Referring to the B Bond warehouse, the report added: “This warehouse is part of the Western Harbour Regeneration Area, a key part of the continuing regeneration of Bristol’s city centre and floating harbour. Bristol City Council is also working with Bristol Legacy Foundation to explore the possibility of using B Bond as a location for a new museum, Story House.”

The report added that Goram has “no current plans for development”, but the developer is ready to explore options if anything changes. Goram is also waiting for further details on the masterplan for the Western Harbour regeneration project.