How a man who wants a bright future for Castle Park has been targeted by trolls

When Russ Leith opens the curtains in his flat on Wine Street every morning, the first thing that he sees is Castle Park.

Before his beloved dog Millie died a few weeks ago, he used to take her for walks there several times a day.

He loves this historic corner of Bristol so much that he founded the Friends of Castle Park group, for which he has become the de facto spokesperson.

But it is this role that has seen Russ become a target for trolls, who have accused him of wanting to destroy the park that he loves by supporting MEPC’s latest plans for the redevelopment of the mostly derelict Mary le Port site, of misrepresenting the views of members of the Friends and even of having an undue influence on the city council’s planning processes.

The retired boat builder, who is a volunteer at the SS Great Britain, refutes all of these allegations, saying that all he wants is a positive future for Castle Park.

Russ Leith in the ruins of St Mary le Port church – photo: Martin Booth

Plans for three new office blocks on the St Mary le Port site on the edge of Castle Park were approved by Bristol City Council councillors in December 2021, despite concerns that the buildings would overshadow the park and overwhelm the Old City.

The three former bank buildings at the corner of Wine Street and High Street will be replaced with one nine-storey and two eight-storey office blocks, with independent retailers, cafes, restaurants and bars at ground level.

The developer will also expand the park, restore the ruined St Mary le Port church tower, and reinstate three historic city centre streets that were lost during the Blitz. It will also put money towards public toilets and improved cycle lanes through the park.

“As far as MEPC’s development goes, personally – and this is also the consensus of the people in the block that we live in – I feel that it will benefit the area.

“At the moment, the problems with Castle Park are rising crime and it’s partly because of the condition of that (the St Mary le Port) corner.

“The council must have some responsibility about allowing it to end up like that. What it creates is a haven for criminals and the like.”

Developers MEPC propose to provide “a high-quality landscaped public space” in and around St Mary le Port church’s surviving tower, “to significantly improve its setting” – image: MEPC

So what does Russ thinks needs to be done?

“It’s my belief that to begin with, you’ve just got to knock those buildings down. It would be lovely if they could be reclaimed, salvaged or restored and brought back into some sort of sensible use, but because of the extent of the fire damage a few years ago, I think it has to start with demolition.

Russ said that he is “quite impressed” with MEPC’s plans for St Mary le Port, “but I just want to see something done”.

Although he is pleased to see the heritage aspects of the proposals – which include both repairing and celebrating the ruins of the church and its tower, and reinstating streets lost in the Second World War – he is less keen on plans for office space, but says that he appreciates the need for this despite working patterns changing post-pandemic.

As for the size of the proposed new buildings, Russ says that he “has got absolutely no issue with that”, despite vocal opponents of the plans – including former mayor George Ferguson – citing the mass and scale as one of the principal reasons to oppose the plans.

Among the four reinstated streets as part of plans for the site is Mary le Port Street which would connect St Nick’s Market to St Peter’s Church – photo: Martin Booth

Russ, 72, moved to Bristol with his wife, Lucy, a retired headteacher, almost five years ago. The pair previously lived in Shefford, a town of around 5,000 residents in Bedfordshire, with Russ being an unelected town councillor who sat on the planning committee.

Since moving to Wine Street, Russ has worked tirelessly as a member of Friends of Castle Park, including regularly removing rubbish and drug paraphernalia on litter-picking sessions.

This has made him even more aghast that he has been the victim of some particularly nasty attacks on his character and integrity – with some people even claiming that he is in the pocket of developers who want to build on the park.

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Read more: St Mary le Port development plans split opinion

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“The attacks are uncomfortable,” Russ says over coffee on a recent morning at Full Court Press on Broad Street in the Old City.

“It’s reached the point now where it actually feels like persecution. They just seem unfair.

“The whole point of Friends of Castle Park is to benefit its users. At the moment, that isn’t happening with that site (St Mary le Port) as it is, so anything that improves that site is pretty much going to get my support.”

Russ says that accusations that he excerpts any undue influence over the city council’s planning committee or is close to developers is “absurd”. “I wouldn’t know where to start,” he laughs.

The accusation that Russ misrepresented the views of the Friends of Castle Park comes from when he counted thumbs-up reactions on a Facebook post as supporters to MEPC’s St Mary le Port plans.

“These people in a sense were voting,” he explains. “They were voting with their reactions and they were voting with their comments. It was quite clear when I took that snapshot that there was massive support in favour of it and that’s what I used when I wrote a statement.”

Looking down what will again become Mary le Port Street towards St Nick’s Market – image: MEPC

The proposed St Mary le Port development as seen from Bristol Bridge – image: MEPC

“How I feel about things is less important than that site,” Russ adds.

“The bigger picture for me isn’t about the aesthetics. The people who object to that development are predominantly complaining about the aesthetics and that to me is insignificant.

“What is important are lives, livelihoods and the deteriorating ruins of St Mary le Port. Those are the big issues and the things that we should be focussing on.”

Main photo: Martin Booth

Read next:

• Future of St Mary le Port site to be decided in Bristol not Westminster
• 22 things you probably didn’t know about Castle Park
• ‘The Old City has been abandoned, neglected and unloved for many years’
• 28-storey residential tower could be built overlooking Castle Park

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