News / Millennium Square
World-first visitor experience to no longer be built in Bristol
Despite planning permission being granted for a unique tourist attraction, it now looks unlikely that Arc will be built in Bristol.
Arc is described as a glass viewing cabin rooftop experience that would have been built on the rooftop of We The Curious.
Visitors would ascend 69 metres into the sky on a 20-minute ride in a cabin suspended between two super-strong carbon fibre masts.
is needed now More than ever
We The Curious have worked with the Bristol-based team behind Arc since 2019 on the plans, but these have now been scrapped with the science centre saying in a statement that they have to concentrate their efforts on reopening their building following a serious fire in April.
Repair work is underway on the building on Millennium Square but there is no set reopening date due to fire damage to the roof, and significant water damage to the second floor and building systems.
We The Curious chief executive Donna Speed said: “As with many others, it has been a challenging few years; and with the current position that we find ourselves in, facing another unplanned period of closure following the fire, it’s given us cause to pause and reflect on our plans for the next few years.
“Right now, we need to focus on our charitable mission and aims and getting our beautiful venue reinstated and open.
“This, together with remaining present for our audience during this period of closure need to be a top priority, and is a huge task for our hard-working teams.
“Sadly, this means we’re simply not in a place where we can accommodate any extra risk; so with that in mind, we’ve decided not to pursue the project with Arc at this time.
“It’s a brilliant, innovative concept, and we wish with the Arc team all the very best in their future endeavours.”
Nick Stubbs, the inventor of Arc, wanted to find a way for people to view any location from above without constructing something permanent like a tower or wheel that would always impact the skyline – image: Arc
Arc inventor, Nick Stubbs, added: “Since we started developing a fabulous plan of how we would work together to display the science behind the city from close above, We The Curious has had the wholly unexpected and very difficult challenge of a fire following hard on the heels of Covid.
“We want them to get back to their first-class celebration of the world of science and know this is not the time to distract them.
“Inventing is never easy but specialists have proved Arc’s physics, demonstrated that we have a sound business and shown that Arc will attract a third of a million visitors to Bristol adding £13m to the local economy every year.
“We were greatly encouraged that Bristol councillors at the planning committee voted unanimously to support Arc at We The Curious. We will just have to be patient until we find the right location.”
Main image: Arc
Read next:
- Fire-struck We The Curious won’t reopen until 2023
- Plans for £13.5m attraction above Bristol’s harbourside submitted
- This is the largest ship to ever visit Bristol
- By-election to take place as councillor steps down
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