The Living Heart for Bristol** has called for Bristol to “think bigger to make the city a real Green Capital”. It has suggested 6 ideas to leave the city transformed for the better at the end of this year. Looking at the list of strategic projectsapproved by Bristol 2015. (Appendix 2 of this document gives more details). Steve Melia, spokesman for the Living Heart for Bristol said:
“There are several good projects on this list; we wouldn’t disagree with many of them, but we see nothing that will leave Bristol transformed when 2015 is over. The Council has other plans, some of which may bring improvements, but nothing to compare with the transformation of Queen Square and College Green 23 years ago. Where is the imagination in all this? If Bristol wants to be taken seriously as a green capital we need to think bigger. To stimulate that debate, the Living Heart has suggested 6 ideas which would transform the central areas of the city:”
- Pedestrianise* the eastern side of The Centre (scrap the new road planned to cut across it)
- Pedestrianise* the western end of Baldwin Street
- Pedestrianise* the Old City, starting with Corn Street and Fairfax Street
- Make Prince Street Bridge for pedestrians and cyclists only and create a new plaza on Prince Street.
- Join up the unfinished fragments of cycle paths around the central areas (e.g. on Baldwin Street, Nelson Street) to create a coherent network around and across the city centre.
- (For the longer-term) Start a feasibility study into burying sections of the M32 and the Inner Ring Road, a process Birmingham has been following for many years (see latest plans here) and London is now considering.
(* with cycle access – preferably on separate cycle paths)
Ciaran Mundy, Director of Transition Bristol added:
“2015 is here, we are European Green Capital. We need very tangible and lasting changes that make it significantly safer and more enjoyable for walking and cycling across the centre of our great city. Living Heart Proposals are just that.”
