FAQs
- Creating a collective sense of the Harbour as it is today
- Creating a collective vision for the Harbour’s future
- Detailed place-by-place delivery plans for how all stakeholders might work toward that Vision
What is a ‘placeshaping strategy’?
A placeshaping strategy will describe the sort of place we’d like the harbour to become, and the steps we will need to take to deliver it. We have appointed placeshaping consultants DK-CM to co-create the strategy with stakeholders. The placeshaping strategy will comprise of a series of deliverables: a Context Appraisal; an Engagement Programme; a Vision; a series of Place Plans (including a Waterspace Plan); a Delivery Plan (including a Quick-Wins Plan) and a Strategic Outline Business Case which makes the case for further investment in a particular part of the harbour (yet to be defined).
How can I get involved?
Throughout the Bristol Harbour Place Shaping Strategy project, Bristol City Council and DK-CM will be working with local people and stakeholders in and around the harbour to understand how the harbour is accessed, or equally why it is not accessed by those who do not use it. There will be in-person events and activities, virtual events and, throughout the process, this website will be updated with new content and new opportunities to engage.
How does the HPSS relate to the vision of Western Harbour?
The vision for Western Harbour is also being led by Bristol City Council. Both projects have a different geographic scope however. The HPSS focusses on the Floating Harbour to the east of Merchants Bridge, whilst the Western Harbour vision focuses on an area to the west of Merchants Bridge and south of the New Cut.
As part of any proposed engagement on the HPSS, will there be an opportunity to comment on fees and charges in the harbour?
In January 2023 Cabinet agreed the Docks Fees paper which brought charges into line with equivalent harbours and introduced new liveaboard licenses. The setting of fees and charges is regulated by legislation and is not part of the HPSS.
How does the HPSS relate to the proposed Harbour Revision Order?
A Harbour Operational Review undertaken in 2022 highlighted that the existing harbour legislation, last updated 25 years ago in 1998, is no longer fit for purpose and a new Harbour Revision Order (HRO) needs to be adopted. In July 2023 Cabinet gave its approval to apply to the Marine Management Organisation for a new Harbour Revision Order and to create assured ring-fenced financial accounts for the harbour. It is anticipated that the application process for the HRO will take 18 months to be approved and will therefore run alongside, but independently from the preparation of the HPSS.
How will this document guide planning applications in the harbour?
Once endorsed, the HPSS will become a material consideration when assessing planning applications in the harbour
Who is commissioning and funding this work?
The HPSS is being commissioned by Bristol City Council is being funded through the West of England Combined Authority (Investment Fund) with match funding from Bristol City Council.
Who is preparing the Harbour Place Shaping Strategy?
Bristol City Council is working together with DK-CM, on The Bristol Harbour Place Shaping Strategy. DK-CM’s multidisciplinary team includes Rising Arts Agency, Fourth Street and Savills.
What is the timeline for preparing the Harbour Place Shaping Strategy?
The Bristol Harbour Place Shaping Strategy project is broken down into three stages:
The diagram below summarises our process and key dates:
It is anticipated that the Harbour Place Shaping Strategy will be formally endorsed by Bristol City Council by the Summer 2024.