Work is due to start next month on major plans to transform Bristol city centre which will see the broken fountains covered up. The promenade running through the city centre will be upgraded in a three-month project, which will also involve replacing five “overgrown” trees due to safety fears.
In February work will take place to install platforms over three sets of steps, that run alongside Broad Quay in between the raised tree planters, so they can be used as space for extra concessions, including street food.
This will be followed by work to fill in the three sunken fountains and remove the wooden decking so the whole promenade area can be covered with the same light coloured surface. This phase of the project is expected to be completed in April.
During this time the middle of Centre Promenade will be fenced off. The harbour market is aiming to operate in a flexible way around the works site. The cycle track to the side of the work area will remain open and pedestrian routes will be signposted.
As part of the project council bosses have decided to remove five mature trees as a “last resort”. The London plane trees, in raised planters alongside Broad Quay, were planted five years ago. The council says they have now outgrown their shallow planters and there is not enough room for their roots, which are pushing out of the planters and damaging them.
It said the trees are not yet fully grown and if left they could become unstable, potentially posing a risk to people in the area. After the trees have been removed, the planters will be repaired and five Judas trees will be planted in them.
The decision to remove the five trees follows a consultation held in November and December. The council says they cannot be replanted elsewhere as their size means they need to be felled in sections.
Bristol City Council says the five mature trees on Centre Promenade have outgrown their planters
(Image: Bristol City Council)
Rebuilding the planters around the trees has also been discounted as the roots are entwined within the cladding of the planters and would need to be cut back, which would damage the trees. 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 work on Centre Promenade is part of a wider project to create more usable space for the harbour market, event and people travelling between the Neptune statue and the Cascade Steps.
Councillor Andrew Brown, chair of the economy and skills committee on Bristol City Council, said: “Removing these mature trees is a last resort but it needs to be done as they should not have been planted in these shallow planters, which are unsuited to such large trees. We will be replacing them with trees that have pink sprays of blossom in the spring, which should be a lovely addition to the centre.
“It will be great when the work is complete and we have a level surface with new seating and planting. It will mean there is more room for events and people travelling through the centre, which will take much of the pressure off these competing needs. The changes will make Centre Promenade more spacious, vibrant and safer for everyone.”
Once the construction work is complete and the fencing has been removed, the new surface will be covered with a large-scale 2D artwork, designed by artist Oshii.
The council is still reviewing the cycle route through Centre Promenade and says it is still “considering options to make it more visible”. Work to resurface the cycleway is expected to take place in the spring or summer.
Find out more at www.bristol.gov.uk/centreprom.
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