Historic England: ‘Western Harbour options could have serious implications for this special place’

As a petition asking Bristol City Council to publish the full feasibility report on the Cumberland Basin road options passes 1,000 signatures, Historic England have responded to the Western Harbour plans urging caution.

A Historic England spokesperson said: “The iconic Suspension Bridge is a Grade I listed structure and one of the defining images of Bristol. In particular, the stark transition from city to countryside created by the Avon Gorge is part of what makes the city so distinctive.

“We are aware of the current public consultation, which is seeking views on changes to the Cumberland Basin road system. The ideas are at an early stage and there is limited information available, but each of the options presented could have serious implications for this special historic place.

“We look forward to working with Bristol City Council to understand more about the vision for the Western Harbour, and to help ensure that any future development responds positively to this historic entrance to the city at the confluence of the Floating Harbour and New Cut.”

The Western Harbour covers an area including Bedminster, Spike Island and Hotwells

In 2018, Bristol City Council commissioned Arup, Alec French and JLL to undertake an initial feasibility study to consider approaches for reconfiguring traffic movements across the Western Harbour area.

Despite a dozen options being considered, the current initial consultation only looks at three: the eastern, western and hybrid.

Petition founder Suzanne Audrey wrote: “The three chosen options all list considerable weaknesses including environmental harm to the river and riverbank, community severance (areas being ‘cut off’ from each other by busy roads), harm to historic assets, harm to iconic views of the Clifton Suspension Bridge, changing the cycle route from a rural to a heavily-trafficked area, increased heavy traffic alongside the Nova Scotia and Pump House pubs, and increased air pollution. Local residents and businesses are also fearful about the future of their homes and premises.

“Given the importance of this for the future of the city, we urge Bristol’s mayor and council to publish the full feasibility report.”

Some local campaigners want Plimsoll Bridge to remain

A Freedom of Information request from Cumberland Basin Stakeholder Group member Joanna Booth asking the council to release the full report was refused earlier this year.

In his response, Bristol City Council’s head of strategic city transport, Adam Crowther, said that there is no plan to take any of the other nine Western Harbour road options forward.

Crowther wrote: “The feasibility study considered a number of potential schemes and suggested three preferred options.

“These will be consulted on shortly as part of our engagement with the local community and also the wider  city.

“We are not releasing the report at this stage as we wish to consult on the preferred options and conclude the report prior to publishing.

“The full report will be released following the engagement process, this is in line with section 22 of the Freedom of Information Act. Growth and Regen Scrutiny requested that the specification for the report be released, this has been done as requested.”

Read more: Could Brunel’s ‘other’ bridge be brought back into use?