| Location | Broadmead, Bristol |
|---|---|
| Opening date | 25 September 2008 |
| Developer | Bristol Alliance |
| Management | Kevin Duffy |
| Owner | Land Securities & Hammerson |
| No. of stores and services | 140 |
| No. of anchor tenants | 15 |
| Total retail floor area | 92,900 m2 (1,000,000 sq ft) |
| Parking | 2,500 car spaces |
| No. of floors | 4 |
| Website | www.cabotcircus.com |
| (Retail & leisure floor area shown) [1] | |
Cabot Circus is a shopping centre in Bristol, England. It is adjacent to Broadmead, a shopping district in Bristol city centre. The Cabot Circus development area contains shops, offices, a cinema, hotel and 250 apartments. It covers a total of 139,350 m2 (1,500,000 sq ft) floor space, of which 92,900 m2 (1,000,000 sq ft) is retail outlets and leisure facilities.[1] It opened in September 2008, after a ten year planning and building project costing £500 million.[2]
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The original chosen name 'Merchants Quarter' came under criticism due to its associations to the slave trade.[3] The name of Cabot was chosen following a public vote taken in November 2007,[4] and commemorates John Cabot, an Italian explorer who is closely associated with Bristol. Work began on the site in September 2005,[5] following planning approval in December 2003.[6] Cabot Circus comprises three multi-level pedestrianised streets, with apartment block areas. Its focal point, The Circus, has a large glass-panelled roof. The centre won the 2008 BREEAM Retail award for its sustainable design,[1] including its natural ventilation, low energy lighting and rainwater harvesting system. The complex was opened to shoppers on 25 September 2008.[2]
Cabot Circus has over 120 shops, two department stores, several restaurants, a thirteen-screen Showcase Cinema de Lux, a Jungle Rumble Adventure Golf centre and is split into two areas, the circus itself and Quakers Friars. The Circus is divided into three streets and multiple levels. Outlets include New Look, Urban Outfitters, Zara, Hollister Co, H&M, The Disney Store and House of Fraser. Above at the highest level are eateries and the cinema. On the opposite street is the Quakers Friars area, which houses Harvey Nichols having been opened by Dita Von Teese.[7] Other outlets in the area include French Connection, Hugo Boss, Thomas Pink, Lacoste and an Apple Store.
Cabot Circus is at the junction of the A4044 and A4032, close to the end of the M32 motorway.
Cabot Circus has 2,500 car parking spaces,[8] with disabled and "parent and toddler bays, plus electric car bays equipped with chargers. Prices are biased towards short-stay shoppers—£1 an hour to park Mondays to Saturdays (over 7 hours £16) and £2 to park all day on a Sunday.[9] The evening parking rate (5pm-7am) is charged at £1.
Drivers can also access the centre by using one of Bristol's three Park and Ride services; Long Ashton, Portway and Bath Road.[10] From September to December 2008, there was a temporary weekend park and ride scheme from Frenchay to Cabot Circus.[11]
Bus stops for services from all parts of the city and region are within walking distance. From Temple Meads railway station, Cabot Circus can be reached by bus, ferry, taxi or on foot.
In 2002, local newsletter The Bristolian reported, "Last Thursday residents of St Pauls met to oppose the Broadmead development: "Is Our Community under threat from Big Business Developers?" "The Broadmead Expansion Plan, backed by the council, will mean a massive increase in traffic congestion, pollution and parking chaos."[12]
Bristolians and Bristol-based organisations have used Bristol Indymedia to criticise the development and the impacts it will have on their city.[13][14] On the day of its launch, activists hung a banner from part of the development saying "crunch the cabot credit circus", linking the opening of a multimillion pound retail development with the late 2008 economic climate and global credit crunch.[15] The first Saturday of its opening was marked by a zombie walk of around 50 zombies stumbling through the mall.