Work on creating a regeneration framework for Bedminster begins

Following a period of public engagement, Bristol City Council have begun work to create a plan to guide change in the area around Whitehouse Street in Bedminster.

The Council will use feedback from the community and local businesses as part of a mix of considerations that will influence the regeneration framework for the area, before it is formally consulted on later in the year.

The aim of the framework is to create a thriving mixed-use, liveable neighbourhood with new homes to accommodate Bristol’s growing population, while providing inclusive economic growth and community development as the city emerges from the pandemic.

Cllr Tm Renhard, cabinet member for housing delivery, said: ‘We want to create a fairer, more inclusive Bristol, while building the new homes, jobs and community spaces that are needed as we recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.’

The brownfield site currently hosts commercial and light-industrial uses, as well as vacant plots of land, but is located near key public transport and walking and cycling routes to the city centre, making it a sustainable location for new homes, jobs and community facilities.

The council also hopes to strengthen the economic and social function of Bedminster’s high street, East Street, through the framework, exploring ways to improve culture and the evening economy in the area.

Bristol City Council will develop the plans in partnership with local landowners, the Galliard Apsley Partnership and The Hill Group, in order to enable a coherent design by working collaboratively.

To ensure local people have a voice in the regeneration of the area, the Council commissioned Action Greater Bedminster (AGB), a group working to improve Bedminster and Southville, to undertake a programme of public engagement.

Ellie Freeman, chair of Action Greater Bedminster, said: ‘We want the greater Bedminster area to thrive and grow, supporting diversity, sustainability and accessibility. Whitehouse Street can be a key part of this, complementing what is already in the area and creating new opportunities. It is a potential connector between Temple Quarter, Redcliffe flats, Bedminster and Windmill Hill.

‘This process has been a huge learning curve and, while not perfect, has meant the community has been able to feed into the framework and engage with the development process more directly than ever before. We’re really pleased the council has taken this approach and hope it will be used more in future.’

In related news, Oxford City Council has transformed Broad Street into a wildflower meadow. 

Photo by Martyna Bober