A Government task force called in to help save ‘South Bristol’s High Street’ have recommended urgent action be taken by Bristol City Council in a hard-hitting report that warns people and businesses will be pushed out if nothing is done.
And the High Street Task Force called in to assess how to rejuvenate East Street in Bedminster - while still keeping it as a hub for all in South Bristol - has called on everyone to get involved in developing a plan to stop it being taken over by new businesses catering for the more than 1,250 students and 1,000 new residents set to arrive in the next couple of years.
The Government advisors’ report says ‘decisive action is needed now’, and warns that if the council and local people and business leaders do nothing, a ‘watch it happen approach is profoundly risky’.
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The hard-hitting report warns that shops and businesses that cater for the local population in Bedminster and surrounding areas of South Bristol risk being priced out and replaced as the rapid change brought by the ‘Bedminster Green’ regeneration project begins to take shape.
Bristol City Council asked the Government’s High Streets Task Force to come and advise what needed to happen to support East Street - and the report, produced by the task force’s project director Matt Colledge and its expert advisor Andrew Haley, pulls few punches when it comes to outlining what the problems are.
The report states that, while some empty shops have been filled and new businesses are opening up, there is still ‘significant vacancy’. “The shops and places to eat and drink serve the immediate and less wealthy communities, with social challenges which become increasingly evident after the shutters come down,” said Mr Colledge.
“Changes in North Street have been positive, but the deep-seated issues of deprivation experienced by those who use East Street remains profoundly concerning, especially in respect of crime and health and disability,” he said. The report warns just how huge the impact of the ‘Bedminster Green’ project will be.
There are five ‘plots’ being developed, with work at two already well underway. If it is all given permission and built, there will be more than 1,250 students arriving each year, and around 1,000 new homes, almost all one- or two-bed flats, with only a tiny fraction ‘affordable’ for people in social housing. The people moving in to Bedminster Green will change East Street if nothing is done to protect it for the existing residents of Bedminster, the report warned.
“It is imperative not to take the consequences of this lightly - it will have a profound impact on the area,” warned Mr Colledge. “There will be additional busy-ness, and increased expenditure. Alongside these benefits, the concerns are also very real. The lack of family housing reduces the potential for new residents to ‘put down roots’.
“An issue that is of particular concern relates to community infrastructure in the area, including healthcare, which is already limited and is unlikely to have the required capacity. Market forces are likely to respond to the new residents with shops, cafes, bars and restaurants that do not meet the needs of the existing community, risking further entrenching the pockets of acute deprivation,” he added.
Calling on Bristol City Council to act fast, Mr Colledge’s report added: “Change is inevitable, and is already happening, at scale. Bedminster is at a pivotal moment – allow market forces to play out – or seek to shape the process to deliver better outcomes?
“To take the ‘watch it happen’ approach is profoundly risky. The East Street area is fragile, with little social, environmental or economic resilience. The impact of Bedminster Green is likely to overwhelm what exists. Facilities that meet the needs of the existing community are likely to be replaced; ‘eyes on the street’ are likely to be limited; with the potential for a lack of care in the neighbourhood likely to increase,” he added.
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“Decisive action is needed now. The adverse impacts of allowing market forces to determine the future of Bedminster are likely to be significant. It is in that context that decisive action is advocated, now, while it can still influence change in a positive way, for the benefit of all,” he added.
Mr Colledge has called on Bristol City Council to act fast and, along with community partners, establish a ‘stake’ on East Street that is of ‘sufficient scale that it can positively influence the regeneration of the most challenging area’.
“This should create a focus for the existing community, to which new residents will be welcomed. It is advocated that the hub should consolidate a number of community uses. This may include relocation of the library from Bedminster Parade, to become a facility that serves today’s needs, alongside significantly expanded GP/clinic facilities, training and community space. Importantly, it should incorporate high quality, external space – the market square – where people can meet and where a programme of activities can respond to the needs of the existing and emerging communities,” he added.
“Urgent action is needed by the Council, to engage with developers and property owners along East Street to establish a means by which this strategically critical investment can be brought forward as a catalyst for wider responsible regeneration of East Street. Existing discussions in respect of a community facility at St. Catherine’s Place provides encouragement in its intent. It will be important to see this as a ‘stepping stone’, not a ‘result’, as the hub that is needed to drive the required benefits will need to be much more significant in scale,” he added.
Along with recommending a lot more community ownership of more of East Streets, with opportunities for shops, co-operatives, pubs and training schemes, someone needs to take ownership and take charge of managing the rescue plan, the report added. Community group Action Greater Bedminster, which has been holding a series of ‘BS3 Beyond 2025’ public meetings this spring to discuss the how Bedminster, Southville and Ashton can cope with the huge development plans, welcomed the report.
The group is now encouraging everyone in Bedminster to get involved and work together to ensure the recommendations of the report are carried out, and the council does what the Government’s Task Force is telling it to.
“This is report has lots of valuable suggestions and offers a key moment for everyone who lives near, works on, or visits East St to have a role in shaping a future for the street,” said Ellie Freeman, the chair of Action Greater Bedminster.
“We can all see that change is happening and now is the time to get involved make sure that East Street thrives on its own terms and no one is priced out. I’d really encourage anyone who can to come along on June 6,” she added.
- Two workshops are taking place on Tuesday, June 6. The first is from 11am to 1pm and the second is from 6pm to 8pm - for more information, and to read the full Government report, go here.
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