Centre Promenade works get set to start
Plans to deliver changes to the Centre Promenade area of the City Centre have been unveiled as part of a project aimed at creating more space for pedestrians, markets and events.
The work will take place on a section of Centre Promenade in Bristol city centre, between the Neptune statue and the Cascade Steps.
The three sunken fountains, that are broken and beyond repair, will be filled in and the old wooden decking removed so the whole ‘promenade’ area can be covered over with the same light coloured surface. This will be decorated with a large-scale 2D artwork that integrates with the area’s planters and plant selection.
Platforms over three sets of steps, that run alongside Broad Quay in between the tree planters, will also be built so they can be used for extra concessions, such as street food. These works will also replace five trees that have outgrown their planters.
These changes will allow more space for the harbour market, events, and people travelling through the thriving central area.
This is a busy area in the city and one that has many uses, from the food stalls and events through to thousands of passing pedestrians and cyclists.
Councillor Andrew Brown, Chair of the Economy and Skills Committee
“While the fountains were a good idea in principle, they reduce the available space and have not worked properly for many years because of limited water storage capacity underground.
“By creating a flat surface across this whole area, we can give more room for events and people travelling through The Centre, which will make the area work better and take much of the pressure off all these competing needs.
The Centre Promenade works also include removing five London plane trees (Platanus X hispanica) and replacing them with five smaller blossoming trees (Cercis siliquastrum) that are more suited to growing in raised planters.
This needs to be done as the trees, planted in 2000, have outgrown their planters and do not have enough room for their roots, which are pushing out of the planters and damaging them. If left, the trees could become unstable, posing a risk to people in the area. All the other trees in the area will remain in place.
When next visiting The Centre, I’d encourage you to take a closer look at the five raised planters that run alongside Broad Quay. You will see that the roots of the trees are pushing the limestone cladding off the planters as they have outgrown the contained space. They will only grow larger and could become unstable, which would be dangerous for people in the area if we do nothing.
Councillor Andrew Brown, Chair of the Economy and Skills Committee (continued)
It’s not been an easy decision to make as we always aim to save healthy trees if we can. Working with arboricultural specialists, we have looked at other options, such as building larger planters or cutting back the root systems and the crown of the trees. However, both these options do not deal with the problem of the shallow planters in the long-term and could also lead to the trees becoming unstable. We cannot replant the trees elsewhere as they are so large that, to remove them safely, they need to be felled in sections.
For these reasons we are replacing the five trees with ones that will be much happier growing in the planters. We have chosen small to medium trees that blossom in the spring with a spray of pink flowers, so they should be a lovely addition to The Centre.
As a council, we are committed to increasing the number of trees in Bristol with 100,000 trees planted since 2015 as part of the One Tree Per Child and Trees for Streets programmes.
The felled trees will be processed into woodchip and used to fuel bio-mass boilers in various buildings, including some public buildings like schools and leisure centres. The woodchip will also be used to mulch around the base of next year’s newly planted trees to suppress weeds and help the soil to retain moisture.
Depending on contractor availability, the work is set to be carried out in the autumn and winter to take advantage of the winter tree planting season. It is expected to take up to three months to complete. Throughout that time, the middle of Centre Promenade will be fenced off and the harbour market will not be able to run in this location, but other sites are being considered. The cycle track to the side of the work area will remain open and pedestrian routes will be signposted.
“We are really grateful to everyone for bearing with us while we carry out these works that will make The Centre more spacious, vibrant and safer for everyone,” added Councillor Brown.
As part of this project, the council is reviewing the cycle route through Centre Promenade and is considering options to make it more visible to reduce conflict between pedestrians and cyclists. This will follow on from these works.
The Centre Promenade works are being funded by Bristol City Council. It is being delivered as part of the City Centre and High Streets programme funded by Bristol City Council and West of England Combined Authority.
To find out more and keep up to date with the works, visit www.bristol.gov.uk/centreprom
