News / Bristol Parks
Measures to make parks in Bristol safer
Parks in Bristol could soon be made to feel safer after a spate of crimes, including several stabbings.
As part of its wide-ranging plan to improve safety in parks, Bristol City Council will upgrade or install lighting in several areas across the city.
Other parts of the plan include creating new entrances in Castle Park to improve visibility and access.
is needed now More than ever
Detailed design work and planning applications for a major redesign of Castle Park will start this spring, in a £1.2m programme that will likely last 18 months.
Earlier in March, the council’s cabinet approved its new parks and green spaces strategy, setting out priorities for upgrades.
Detailed design work and planning applications for a major redesign of Castle Park will start this spring – photo: Historic England
Writing on the mayor’s blog, Labour councillor Ellie King, cabinet member for public health and communities, said the new strategy would increase access to parks over the next 15 years.
But she warned that government austerity had left the parks department with much less money.
She said: “We want Bristol’s communities to feel that parks are accessible, inclusive, safe, fun and rich in nature and wildlife. With more people than ever before visiting our parks, staying for longer, and taking part in activities which make them healthier and happier.
“Bristol has over 400 beautiful parks and natural open spaces. We are lucky to live in a city so rich in parks, woodlands, areas for nature, playgrounds and playing pitches — from the expanse of the Downs to community pocket parks — and over half of us enjoy a visit to a park every week.”
The plans in the strategy include using Green Flag’s safer parks guidance on improving access for women and girls.
This includes measures like better lighting, improving access and changing designs to prevent areas where people might feel trapped.
According to the strategy, women and girls can often feel less safe in parks, due to the threat of harassment and violence.
People responding to a public consultation on the strategy called for better lighting in parks as well as new CCTV cameras.
However, other people raised concerns about the impact of lighting on wildlife, as lights at night can disturb sleeping patterns.
16-year-old Darrian Williams was fatally stabbed in Rawnsley Park – photo: Ellie Pipe
Rawnsley Park in Easton was the site of a recent fatal stabbing, and some neighbours raised concerns in the national press about a lack of street lighting there.
At Castle Park, where a man was fatally stabbed in January 2023, the draft masterplan noted that “current lighting to the park is not meeting the needs of users, addressing public safety concerns or unlocking the full potential for the night-time experience of the park”.
Alex Seabrook is a local democracy reporter for Bristol
Main photo: Martin Booth
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