If you’re anything like me, you spent much of the winter daydreaming of sitting harbourside with an ice-cold beer and soaking up the sunshine with a few friends. But this summer could be the last time you or I ever get to enjoy the water’s edge, as plans to fill in the iconic Floating Harbour with concrete have been announced.
Bristol is a rapidly growing city, but rather than build up or out, the city council has had a ‘brainwave’ and looks to unleash the unrealised potential space right in the middle of everything. Sure, it’s nice to look at, but apart from a few canal boats or water-based activities, what value is the harbour even bringing to Bristol?
Instead, councillors have already outlined the many benefits of filling in the harbour tenfold—from more room for student flats to hosting a weekly, open-air street food market for city workers, and a giant e-scooter parking bay. Wouldn’t it be nice to walk directly from Watershed to Wapping Wharf?
The harbour covers an area of 70 acres and was initially built in the early 1800s to stay competitive as a popular cargo destination, but Bristol’s maritime history is very much that: History. Even as far back as the 1960s, plans to fill in parts of the Floating Harbour were floated for road construction—so it’s not exactly a new idea either.
What is the plan for the Floating Harbour?
This will be no small feat, that’s for sure, and is likely to go through many rounds of discussions before plans get off the ground. Estimates mean the massive engineering job could require roughly 10 to 15 million tonnes of concrete, while the cost could be unimaginable.
A completion date remains a mystery, but seeing as it took three months to fill in the three fountains, this new project could take decades. The council has said that a new street art mural ‘that represents the spirit of Bristol’ will however be unveiled soon to mark the occasion. An official update is expected on Wednesday, April 1, at midday.
April Fools! Sorry if we got you for a moment there…
The post Bristol’s iconic harbour to be completely filled in with concrete – making way for student flats, e-scooter parking, and an open-air street food market appeared first on Secret Bristol.
