Frustration at Western Harbour plans which include kids’ drawings

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Frustrated councillors expecting to examine fresh proposals to revamp the Cumberland Basin were presented with “nothing to scrutinise” but “kids’ drawings”.

They had hoped to hear detailed results from early engagement with the public, along with new plans for the area that Bristol City Council now calls Western Harbour, at a council meeting on Monday, February 28.

But despite the imminent launch of a six-week consultation on Thursday, March 10, growth and regeneration scrutiny commission members were given a short report and shown 15 slides mostly of photographs from the series of “visioning days” held in the autumn when the local authority went back to the drawing board after losing residents’ trust over its intentions.

The slideshow also included a “vision” for the future Western Harbour comprising four guiding “principles” but no detail and a few sentences “distilled” from the feedback at the events called listening labs and creative workshops, which involved actors and activities including plasticine modelling.

Cumberland Basin is set to be redeveloped as part of the council’s ‘Western Harbour’ plans – photo: Betty Woolerton

Baffled councillors criticised the lack of information to get their teeth into about the vision, which proclaims that “as a gateway and connection point, the area will be both edge and centre”. They expressed fear that the consultation would be a meaningless “tick-box exercise”.

They also pointed out the four principles going back out to consultation – ‘Be a distinctive gateway to Bristol’, ‘Support a thriving community’, ‘Build on its tradition of innovation’, and ‘Embrace freedom and nature’ – could apply to anywhere in the city, so everyone would agree with them anyway.

Officers pleaded with members to “bear with” them and said the timing was unfortunate because while there would be some more detail published by March 10, it wasn’t ready in time to present at the meeting.

Green councillor for Bishopston and Ashley Down Emma Edwards said: “No one is criticising the public engagement or the way that was done through arts. That was great. But from a position of scrutiny we haven’t got anything to scrutinise.

“We haven’t seen what people have said. We’re seeing photographs of kids’ drawings which is lovely but we can’t really scrutinise kids’ drawings.

Payne’s Shipyard development are four blocks of flats to be built on an old shipyard in Cumberland Basin, the first housing development approved in the area – photo: Scott Brownrigg and Crest Nicholson

Executive director of growth and regeneration Stephen Peacock told members: “This is the delivery of exactly what we said we were going to do which was the vision piece, not the masterplan.

“So it’s not spectacular, it’s not some lightning-and-thunder moment, because what we tried to do was draw on a broad base of all Bristolians to come up with what they thought this place could be.

He added: “It is a modest but useful starting point to the next bit which is where we fill in those four headings, such as what does a ‘gateway’ really mean.

“A masterplan where these things are discussed is the next stage, which people will be really excited by.”

Cabinet is expected to consider the results of the upcoming consultation in June and agree a procurement and funding strategy.

Main photo: Betty Woolerton

Read more: Approval for first new housing development in Western Harbour area

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