Former Co-Op to be sold at auction

The derelict former Co-Op building next to the new Ashley Down store is to be sold in an online auction - a year after being transferred to new owners.

Auctioneers Allsop have listed it with a guide price in excess of £1.375m. The last official record of it being sold shows that two Manchester-based companies paid £1.8m back in 2019. Last summer lawyers applied to have the site registered to unidentified owners.

The auction is due to be held on July 15. Allsop describe the plot as a vacant freehold development opportunity, with potential for homes, student accommodation or as a mixed-use site, subject to planning permission.

A previous auction was due to be held in September 2025 by Savills, but was cancelled when it was withdrawn.

Most of the derelict building dates back to 1914 when it was first opened as a cinema. It was a builders' merchant in the 1960s before becoming a supermarket.

No formal planning application has yet been made to Bristol City Council regarding the future of the site.