Piccolino and L'Osteria in the Cabot Circus area have closed suddenly

Readers of Bristol Live have been sharing their views following reports that two prominent restaurants situated opposite one another in Bristol city centre are set to shut down. Numerous comments highlight a broader issue: escalating overheads, declining footfall, and a subdued night-time economy in the vicinity of Cabot Circus.

Two leading Italian eateries in Bristol's Shopping Quarter have unexpectedly ceased trading. Piccolino and L'Osteria, both positioned in the Quakers Friars and Cabot Circus district of the city - within easy walking distance of each other - are now both already marked as 'permanently closed' on Google at the time of writing.

A notice displayed in L'Osteria's window states: "We regret to inform you that, as of January 5, this restaurant is closed and will not be reopening. We sincerely thank all customers for their support over the years."

The Piccolino website has removed Bristol from its list of branches, with no Piccolino establishments anywhere near the city now. Based on the locations listed online, the restaurant chain now operates only in Yorkshire, Birmingham, Cheshire, Liverpool, Manchester and Greater Manchester, London, Nottinghamshire, Surrey, Henley-on-Thames, Buckinghamshire, and West Sussex.

One reader, Reluctantlyresident expresses: "A shame, but sadly, not a surprise in this festering dystopian cesspit of a city centre. The shopping experiences are bleak and the night time economy is non-existent thanks to decades of mismanagement and weak leadership from Bristol City Council and stakeholders. Visited York, Harrogate, Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, Bath and London throughout December, all absolutely bouncing and heaving and a far cry from the inaccessible and disjointed Bristol city centre!."

Sparky7 comments: "Well done, Rachel Reeves and Bristol City Council. The combination of the two will kill off even more businesses. The increased costs caused by the budgets plus the extra charges from BCC with the business rates and the impossible parking situation deterring people from visiting will eventually destroy what is left!"

Realistically 123 adds: "Hardly a surprise. The costs of running any form of business have escalated so quickly that you simply cannot account for it, business rates, minimum wage, and national insurance, all escalating at way above inflation rates. New employment rules and employee lethargy since COVID have all had a significantly negative effect, where entrepreneurs are saying NO to any investments; in fact, they are closing down. Hence this news."

Wilts believes: "This part of Bristol, i.e. the extension of Cabot Circus, is basically dead, past 7pm in the evening. Any social life post 7pm, within the central part of Bristol, is around Baldwin Street, Corn Street, the 'traditional' City Centre and the waterside bars. And onwards up Park Street and into Clifton. Cabot Circus. Broadmead is an awful place to be/shop, by day, let alone in the evening."

Are you shocked about these sudden closures? Comment below or HERE to join in the conversation.

There are wide-ranging concerns about the proposals for Bristol's second LTN

People living in the area that will see the second of Bristol’s controversial ‘Liveable Neighbourhoods’ are planning to march from their main street to City Hall to attend the next meeting of transport chiefs at Bristol City Council.

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The South Bristol Liveable Neighbourhood Concerns Group has announced it will march on City Hall to voice their opposition to the plan to block off roads and create traffic zones in Southville and Totterdown, as well as plans for new Residents Parking Schemes in other parts of Bedminster and Ashton.

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The city council held a series of consultation events last summer and autumn across the BS3 area, but local residents complained the council staff weren’t even taking notes when people talked to them about issues with the plans.

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Council chiefs, including transport committee chair Cllr Ed Plowden and council leader Cllr Tony Dyer, both represent wards in the area concerned, and both said the plans could be changed. The council is currently coming up with its firm proposals after last year’s consultation exercise, and it is expected to be discussed at the next Transport and Connectivity committee meeting, which takes place in early February.

Organisers of a march to that meeting say everyone is welcome to join them, and they have two aims - to descend on the council meeting in numbers, but also to raise awareness of the plans within the BS3 community.

The meeting is taking place at 5pm on Thursday, February 5, and the march will gather at Aldi on North Street in Ashton Gate before 3.45pm, and proceed along North Street to pick up more marchers at the Hen & Chicken at 3.55pm, the Steam Crane at 4.10pm before heading up Dean Lane to arrive at The Coronation pub at 4.15pm before heading across the river to the city centre to arrive in College Green at 4.45pm.

Organiser Liz Newton, from the SBLN Concerns group said they wanted to remind the council that many people across BS3 have serious concerns at the plans.

“We want as many people as possible to come and join us,” she said. “Please bring home-made placards - as well as showing the council, we want to raise awareness of the proposed SBLN.”

Opposition to the SBLN proposals are wide-ranging. There are fears of a fractured community in Southville, which will be divided by ‘modal filters’ that stop cars, vans, emergency service vehicles and delivery drivers, but let through pedestrians, cyclists and e-scooter riders.

Residents along Coronation Road and North Street said they fear the measures will increase vehicle traffic on the designated main roads, and residents in Bedminster who it is proposed will be the subject of a Residents Parking Scheme for the first time question its effectiveness, enforcement and the timing of the regulations.

Immunai, an Israeli biotech company, announced earlier this week that it has signed an agreement with Bristol Myers Squibb in which the company will apply its AMICA-OS artificial intelligence operating system to BMS clinical programs. The collaboration, announced in New York City, is designed to generate immune-centric insights that support trial design and decision-making, Immunai said.

Immunai is a biotechnology company working to comprehensively map and decode the immune system with single-cell biology and AI to make new therapeutic discoveries, accelerate drug development, and improve patient outcomes.

Under the agreement, Immunai will analyze high-dimensional immune data to help clarify mechanisms of action, identify patient subgroups, discover biomarkers, and guide data-informed choices across development stages, according to the company.

“Understanding the immune system at the level required to guide clinical development remains one of the most complex challenges in drug development,” Immunai CEO Noam Solomon said. He added that AMICA-OS is intended to translate complex immune data into actionable insights that may advance better therapies for patients.

“At Bristol Myers Squibb, we are focused on leveraging innovative approaches that deepen our understanding of patient biology and treatment response,” said Bryan Campbell, Senior Vice President and Head of Drug Development Strategy and Innovation at BMS. He said the work with Immunai would enable advanced AI technologies to generate meaningful immune insights from clinical data.

The companies said the collaboration could expand to additional programs if the initial effort is successful.

Immunai’s platform combines single-cell genomics with machine learning to map and decode the immune system for drug development.

The company has expanded industry ties recently. In September 2024, the company announced a multi-year collaboration with AstraZeneca to apply its platform and machine learning to oncology trials, an agreement that began with an $18 million initial phase and an option to expand. In November 2024, Immunai unveiled a separate multi-year partnership with Teva focused on immunology and immuno-oncology research.

The company has also drawn senior pharma leadership. In March 2025, former Pfizer chief scientist Mikael Dolsten joined Immunai’s board to support the integration of AI-driven immunology in drug development. More broadly, Israel’s biotech sector is seeing larger global partnerships, citing Immunai’s expanded $85 million collaboration with AstraZeneca as part of that trend.

A lengthy diversion route will be in place

People living in East Bristol could face a weekend of severe disruption as a major road closes for works.

Network Rail needs to close Lawrence Hill between Croydon Street and Sarah Street from 8pm on Friday January 23 until 6am on Monday, January 26, to carry out essential repairs to the railway bridge, according to Bristol City Council.

"A diversion will be in place but delays are likely," the council said. "Access for pedestrians and cyclists will be maintained."

Lawrence Hill is a major route into and out of the East Bristol Liveable Neighbourhood area., as well as between the city centre and St George and Kingswood.

One-way systems on many roads covered by the EBLN mean the weekend's closure could be a nightmare for drivers.

The official diversion route is via: Lawrence Hill (part unaffected), Lawrence Hill Roundabout, Easton Way, Stapleton Road, Fishponds Road, Lodge Causeway, Charlton Road, New Queen Street, Two Mile Hill Road, Bell Hill Road, Clouds Hill Road, Church Road, Lawrence Hill (part unaffected) and vice versa.

The diversion route is just under five miles long.

Train services will not be affected by the closure, according to a Great Western Railway spokesperson. Access to the station will also be possible throughout the weekend.

A large number of bus services will be impacted and also forced into using diversions, including the 6, 7, 41, 42, 43, 44 and 45 routes.

Network Rail also has plans to install a lift at Lawrence Hill station which will make it completely accessible for the first time.

Planning permission was given in October by Bristol City Council for a lift and improved stairs to be added to platform 2, making the station step-free. The lift will be installed on the southbound platform heading towards Bristol Temple Meads which currently only has steps.

Over 350,000 people use the station every year.

The expanded agreement broadens the scope of integrated services across the entire drug development lifecycle, encompassing discovery research, translational sciences, pharmaceutical development and manufacturing, clinical trials, and data and information technology services. The collaboration is designed to enable seamless progression from early research to commercialisation, supporting the development of innovative therapies at scale.

Peter Bains, Managing Director and CEO of Syngene International, said the extended partnership reflects a shared long-term vision. “Our collaboration with Bristol Myers Squibb is anchored in scientific excellence, operational reliability, and a commitment to advancing innovative therapies. Extending this partnership through 2035 allows both organizations to plan with a decade-long horizon, including investments in new capabilities and infrastructure. This long-term perspective adds strategic value and positions us to support BMS in delivering the next wave of discovery, development, and manufacturing programs that can improve patient outcomes worldwide.”

Payal Sheth, Senior Vice President, Therapeutic Discovery Sciences at Bristol Myers Squibb, highlighted the patient-centric focus of the collaboration. “At Bristol Myers Squibb, everything we do begins with patients. Our long-standing partnership with Syngene has been instrumental in advancing our scientific ambitions. This expanded collaboration underscores our commitment to integrating research, development, and manufacturing capabilities to accelerate the delivery of transformative medicines to patients in need.”

The partnership began in 1998 and led to the establishment of the Biocon Bristol Myers Squibb Research and Development Center (BBRC), Syngene’s first dedicated R&D center, which became fully operational in 2009. Over time, BBRC has evolved into a major strategic R&D hub for Bristol Myers Squ Squibb.

Today, the center is home to approximately 700 Syngene scientists working as an extension of BMS’s global research organisation. The BBRC supports integrated capabilities across target identification, lead discovery and optimisation, pharmaceutical development, molecular and cell biology, protein sciences, assay biology, and clinical biomarkers.

The center contributes to discovery, preclinical development, and patent filings across multiple therapeutic areas, including cardiovascular disease, fibrosis, immunology, and oncology. Since its inception, BBRC has played a key role in accelerating the advancement of novel compounds from early discovery to first-in-human studies, helping reduce development timelines and overall costs for Bristol Myers Squibb.