News / Castle Park
Calls to reduce height of proposed St Mary le Port development
A petition has been started by campaigners unhappy at the proposed height of a new development at the heart of medieval Bristol.
Plans for the area around St Mary le Port in Castle Park have now been submitted to Bristol City Council.
Developers MEPC hope to restore the church’s historic tower and build three new office buildings around it, with shops, cafes, restaurants and bars at ground level.
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Mary le Port Street, Adam and Eve Lane and Cheese Market, all lost during World War Two, will be reinstated.
MEPC commercial director, Roz Bird, said: “We’d like to thank everyone who has spent time meeting with us and providing feedback, this has been a team effort and we are delighted with the level of support from our recent public consultation.
“We’ll be continuing to listen to feedback through the planning process and working with officers and seeing this important site, that has been long neglected, revitalised.”
MEPC hope to place the tower of St Mary le Port “at the heart of this vibrant new destination that will combine Bristol’s contemporary culture with its rich history and heritage” – image: MEPC
But not everybody is happy with the development, with the new petition rejecting MEPC’s current plans.
Petition founder Zachary Barker, who stood for the Lib Dems in Central ward in the recent local elections, says that the proposed new buildings will obstruct the public view of the church tower “and the proposed design of the buildings are not sympathetic to the wider park area”.
The proposed St Mary le Port development as seen from Bristol Bridge – image: MEPC
Barker’s petition calls for one of the buildings to be reduced in height by at least three storeys.
He said: “The petitioners recognise that the current site is in a state of disrepair and as such attracts anti-social behaviour. However, the petitioners assert that new developments in Bristol should not come at the expense of the city’s rich heritage.”
The current view of St Mary le Port from Castle Park – photo: Martin Booth
Main image: MEPC
Read more: Mixed reactions to St Mary le Port plans
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