The term ‘city centre’ means different things to different people.
To see the area we are referring to on a map, click here. The Plan is particularly focussed on the area around Broadmead and Castle Park.
This boundary was previously defined in the City Centre Framework adopted in 2020.
As Bristol grows and changes there need to be ambitious and creative plans which will support the recovery, regeneration and transformation of the city centre. Development plans facilitate and control regeneration in areas experiencing change over several years.
By bringing key stakeholders, developers and the community together around a single long-term vision for change, plans help avoid lots of planning applications being submitted in isolation from each other, which can result in piecemeal development that fails to deliver a coherent and high-quality new area.
The City Centre Framework, adopted in 2020, set out principles and broad proposals to improve how people move around the area, the public spaces and the approach to regeneration and development in Bristol city centre. However, the City Centre Framework was only the start of the thinking required to deliver change in the city centre. The DDP will move this forward by providing a vision and high-level principles to guide regeneration and by identifying the key changes that need to be made in the coming years to the way city centre streets and spaces are used. Overall the Plan will help ensure future investment, development and regeneration is co-ordinated.
The Plan will move this forward and provide the vision and guidance needed to release and co-ordinate change.
There is a housing crisis and Bristol needs new homes. Bristol’s Draft Local Plan commits the city to deliver at least 33,500 new homes by 2036 to support Bristol’s growing population and meet this housing need. We also need to respond to the climate and ecological emergencies, reduce inequality across the city, and bring about new employment opportunities for communities. Regenerating areas like the city centre allows us to work towards achieving these goals.
This Plan is aiming to guide the future regeneration of the city centre. Projects of this nature are long term and physical changes are still some years away. The draft plan will be consulted on in summer 2023.
The Plan is being led by Bristol City Council and delivered in partnership with Mott Macdonald, Arup, Arcadis, Grant Associates, JLL and Hawkins Brown.
The team is engaging with developers and landowners and we encourage everyone to comment through the formal consultation process via the Ask Bristol website.
Many of the changes the Plan considers are within the streets and spaces already within the control of the Council. However, the Plan will also be the basis for working with landowners and developers as sites come forward for development to look at how they can contribute towards the overall vision for the city centre.
Bristol City Council is itself a large landowner in the city centre and an important part of this work is to look at how the Council’s landholdings can evolve to better meet the overall needs of the city.
We’re aware that there are many different initiatives underway in the areas around the city centre, such as:
- Frome Gateway
- Bristol Temple Quarter and St Philips Marsh
- Bristol Harbour
- Bristol Avon Flood Strategy
Plans for the city centre area will be developed with these in mind.
For more detail on the project programme, click here.
Yes, following a public consultation in mid 2023, the Plan will go to Bristol City Council’s Cabinet. If it is approved, it will become a material consideration, used to guide future regeneration projects and planning applications. It will also guide the Council’s future land and investment decisions in the city centre. It will mean development will be co-ordinated in line with a clear vision and overall plan
The best way to keep stay informed on what’s happening is by signing up to our project mailing list. We will also keep this website up to date throughout the course of the project.