Western Harbour is a 35-hectare brownfield site at the western edge of Bristol, where the city abruptly ends and countryside begins. Partly concealed by a confusion of roads and ageing dock infrastructure are spectacular views along the River Avon towards the Clifton Suspension Bridge on one side, and the city centre and floating harbour on the other.
This masterplan replaces the maze of ramps on Spike Island with mixed-use buildings on a network of side streets accessed from a single central boulevard. The three large, listed bond warehouses are retained and restored as dominant architectural features – one as a cultural hub, the others for residential uses. New buildings sit below these massive landmarks, containing around 1,000 homes above active ground floors for workplaces, shops and community uses.
Environmental sustainability is a core theme of the plan with a line of landscaped flood defences forming a new river walk and wildlife habitats along the south of Spike Island plus extensive sports and leisure amenities on a trail running north from Ashton Meadows to Hotwells.
Extensive consultation with residents and interest groups resulted in general support for the regeneration, with a 55% positive/very positive response. An animation of the proposals was viewed over 9,000 times before the study was concluded.
