Bidding Up

When the £600m Cabot Circus behemoth rose from the ground there was a real danger that neighbouring Broadmead could slip into derelict obscurity. Who would want to go to that grey concrete jungle when glittering glass and steel beckoned?

To counter the threat of demise, Broadmead businesses got together to form a Business Improvement District (BID) to improve the shopping and business environment, tarting and sprucing it up to keep up with the (Ernest) Joneses.

BID proposals are voted on by all businesses within their geographical zone. If more than 50 percent vote yes, the BID is carried and a mandatory levy introduced, collected by the council in the same way as business rates.

In Broadmead, 350 businesses and landlords contributed to a fund of £11m which was used to transform the area’s appearance, replacing paving, lighting, street furniture and signage, cleaning up the environment and funding marketing campaigns so that retailers could share the Cabot Circus opportunity.

“The BID is driven by retailers for retailers, and has greatly improved the look and feel of the shopping area,” says Stacey Skinner, manager at Marks & Spencer.

Running for an average five-year term, the fact that Broadmead has voted for a third term is testament to its popularity.

Boots manager Tracey Renshaw says that “BIDs have transformed Broadmead. Nowhere have funds been used more effectively and creatively – this work must continue.”

The oldest parts of the City Centre

Inspired by this success, a new BID proposal is currently under consultation for Bristol city centre, with the draft proposal scheduled for February and a ballot slated for August 2016. (An online survey is now open where the local business community can share their views on what improvements they would like to see.)

It will cover an area including the Old City, King Street, the centre, Park Street, College Green and parts of the harbourside.

If successful, it is anticipated that it could generate £1.5m over five years for investment in central improvements. It would form the sixth BID zone in Bristol under the council’s jurisdiction, alongside others in Gloucester Road, Clifton Village, Bedminster and Cater Business Park in Bishopsworth.

 “The centre has reputational issues,” says Eva Stuetzenberger from Destination Bristol who is managing the bid after longstanding work at the Park Street and Old City traders’ forums. “With facilities like the Hippodrome and Old Vic, it’s a cultural centre but not seen as such.”

Project lead, Eva Stuetzenberger

She and her team are working on a raft of proposals, which include welcome hosts, a marketing campaign, improved connections and signage, a central information point, group purchasing, and a programme of events.

But not everyone is in support. Last year almost a quarter of the traders in the Gloucester Road BID area were summoned to court for failing to pay the compulsory levy, some conscious protests and others confusion.

Tom Murray of Murray’s the Butchers claims the Gloucester Road scheme was a “two or threefold disaster”. “It’s a forced levy,” he says. “I’ve felt no benefit from the BID. We were told that it would increase footfall and turnover, but it hasn’t.”

Though not against the principle of BIDs – he concedes that they could work in a neighbourhood of retailers with multiple outlets and budget capacity to absorb extra costs – Tom advises caution to small independents and sole traders in the city centre.

“Be diligent with cost analysis, input vs. sales,” he says, disappointed at the burden of cost for a scheme that he says was ill-informed and has brought little advantage.

It’s early days for the city centre bid, but Eva remains optimistic. “Around 200 BIDs have been introduced UK-wide since inception. Of those, all but two have been re-voted in. Once in place, they’re popular with businesses.

“There’s always a little opposition,” she says, frankly, “but in general the feedback is positive. It is generally agreed that the centre could be so much more. Our incentive is not money, it’s to make the city better. We want Bristol to be as good as it can.”

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