• Swindon & Wiltshire News
• Wednesday July 26 2023
• Author Name: Peter Davison

Plans to regenerate Bristol city centre unveiled by council

Plans to regenerate Bristol city centre have been unveiled by the council.

The draft City Centre Development and Delivery Plan takes in Broadmead and Cabot Circus, Castle Park and the Old City.

It focuses on two main areas:

• Revitalise Broadmead as a thriving retail hub and cultural neighbourhood. Give people a reason to visit, work and live there.
• Rejuvenate Bristol’s historic Castle Park as a safer, more accessible, inclusive space for all. It will be more connected with the city and the river, and more welcoming for wildlife and biodiversity.

It recommends closing some major roads to all traffic but buses, bikes, and pedestrians, and planting trees.

Marvin Rees, Mayor of Bristol, said: “The City Centre Development and Delivery Plan sets out an ambitious vision to guide the future of our city centre.

“As with all city centres in the post-pandemic landscape, the area faces multiple challenges, but our hope is that the principles set out in this Plan will help future regeneration to ensure we can create a liveable, vibrant, safe and inclusive city centre that people of all ages will want to live and work in.

“As part of this consultation, we want to hear from residents, businesses, landowners and communities on what you think of the vision for the city centre. We want future redevelopment of our city to provide decent jobs, varied retail and to tackle the challenge of Bristol’s housing crisis, all whilst we face a climate and ecological emergency.

“Our vision for the future of Bristol city centre s one that offers diverse retail, vibrant culture facilities and a thriving evening economy, all while being somewhere that people can call home.”

The Plan has evolved from the City Centre Framework that was adopted in 2020, which set out principles and broad proposals for regeneration and development in Bristol city centre.

A public consultation will run until midnight on Sunday, October 1.

Once all responses are gathered, an updated version will be presented to the council’s Cabinet.

If endorsed, it will become a material consideration for planning applications coming forward in the area. It will also be used to guide land and investment decisions.

Pictured: A CGI of Castle Park