Official figures now show that the City Centre is now one of the biggest residential areas in Bristol. The Living Heart for Bristol* is calling on the Mayor, the City Council and the people of Bristol to recognise that fact, and change their approach to planning and transport in the city centre. Three draft plans published for consultation by the Council fail to recognise this, and are threatening the residents of the city centre with more traffic, more pollution and loss of public space. In responding to the consultations on the Local Plan, Urban Living SPD and City Centre Framework, the Living Heart is calling for measures to prevent the growth of traffic which ‘business as usual’ would cause.
The population of Bristol’s Central Ward was 15,800 in 2015.[1] This was the seventh highest in the city. It was higher than Easton, Clifton, Bishopston, Bedminster and most other residential neighbourhoods around the city. It is also the fastest-growing residential neighbourhood.[2] The Council’s plans would accelerate this population increase, with more high-rise building in particular. The plans broadly suggest a ‘business as usual’ approach to traffic management and transport. They contain no specific proposals to prevent traffic growth or increase public space in the city centre.
A section of the draft local plan is entitled ‘Avonmouth Village – Protecting the Living Conditions of Residents.’ There are no equivalent policies for the city centre.
Spokesman Steve Melia said:
“None of these Council plans acknowledge the fact that Bristol City Centre is home to over 15,000 people. I’m one of them and I get fed up with the way politicians and developers treat my neighbourhood. They seem to regard it as a cash cow and a dumping ground for car parking, traffic and pollution.
We understand the need for more housing, but with this speed of population growth a ‘business as usual’ approach to traffic management will lead to disaster.
These plans must be changed. We need policies to remove through traffic and to constrain the quantity of parking in the city centre, which causes much of the traffic problem. If you’ve ever visited Castle Park on a sunny day you will realise how desperately short we are of public space in central Bristol. With more housing, more jobs and more people in the city centre, we will also need more public space. Closing roads to traffic is the only way to do that in a city centre where land is becoming so scarce.”
Read the Living Heart’s responses to the consultations on the Local Plan and the Urban Living SPD.
[1] Bristol City Council (2017) Central Ward Statistical profile.
[2] This is why Central Ward was separated from the rest of Cabot Ward in 2015
