What we're doing, when it will happen, potential impact and how we're funding the works.
Construction work to create a continuous surface and replace 5 trees started in the centre in January 2025.
What's happening
Construction work is taking place on a section of Centre Promenade in Bristol city centre, between the Neptune statue and the Cascade Steps.
The work is taking place to create a continuous surface, replace 5 trees and improve the look and feel of the area.
Work includes:
- filling in the 3 sunken fountains that no longer work
- creating artwork on a new surface that extends over the fountains and wooden decking
- building platforms over 3 sets of steps to make room for street traders
- replacing 5 trees that have outgrown their planters with blossoming trees
- repairing the damaged planters and paving
- planting flowerbeds and plants for pollinators
- resurfacing the cycleway to make it more visible
Plan of the area
What we will do
Fountains and decking area
The 3 sunken fountains were broken and beyond repair. They have been filled in and the old wooden decking removed and the area covered with a flat surface.
The water features were installed in 2000. From the start they've been challenging and expensive to run consistently because of the limited water storage tank capacity and below ground mechanical operating system.
In 2022 they were deemed to be beyond repair and at end of life.
The fountains are the main feature of Centre Promenade. As they no longer worked and took up valuable space, we needed to redesign the area.
Some of the funding for these works is coming from savings made from not operating the fountains.
Platforms over 3 sets of steps that run alongside Broad Quay in between the tree planters have been built. These will be used for extra concessions, such as food stalls.
Creating a flat surface across this whole area means there's more space for events, the harbour market, and people walking, wheeling and cycling through the thriving central area.
The project does not include any changes to the Cascade Steps.
Replacing 5 trees
As part of the Centre Promenade works, we have removed 5 London plane trees (Platanus X hispanica) and will be replacing them with 5 smaller blossoming trees (Cercis siliquastrum) more suited to growing in raised planters.
We needed to do this as the large trees, planted in 2000, had outgrown their shallow planters and did not have enough room for their roots, which had pushed out of their planters and had damaged them.
London plane trees can grow to a height of over 30m with a crown spread of around 25m. The planters only go down to a soil depth of between 70cm and 100cm, which is not enough earth for the growing trees.
If the trees had been left as they were, the trees could have become unstable, and posed a risk to people in the area.
To fix the planters we needed to reset the coping stones and re-fit the loose cladding. The trees needed to be removed to allow this to happen successfully. Damage to the tree roots would likely lead to the trees becoming unstable, which would be a risk to the public, especially in such a busy area.
We've looked at other options, such as building larger planters or cutting back the root systems and the crown of the trees. However, as both these options did not deal with the problem of the shallow planters in the long-term, it could also lead to the trees failing and becoming unstable. We could not replant the trees elsewhere as they are so large that, to remove them safely, they'd have to be felled in sections.
The sections of felled trees were turned into woodchip that will be used to fuel bio-mass boilers in various buildings, including some public buildings like schools and leisure facilities. It will also be used to mulch around the base of next year's newly planted trees.
We worked with arboricultural specialists to explore all the options, with a presumption that existing trees should be preserved, but we concluded that replacing the trees with a more suitable species is the best way forward.
These works will not impact the rest of the trees in the area.
The decision to remove the five trees follows on from a consultation held from 20 November to 18 December 2024.
Commitment to trees
As a council, we're committed to increasing the number of trees in Bristol with 100,000 trees planted since 2015 as part of the One Tree Per Child and Trees for Streets programmes.
Access throughout the works and harbour market
The middle of Centre Promenade will be fenced off at certain periods. This won't impact the pavement running alongside Broad Quay, which will remain open.
The bus stops on Broad Quay will also remain open and in use.
The harbour market will not be able to run in its usual location at some points during the works, however, it's aiming to operate in a flexible way around the works site.
Improving the cycle route through the centre
As part of this project, from 9 June 2025 we will be updating the cycleway through Centre Promenade to make it more visible to reduce conflict between pedestrians and cyclists.
The current paved cycleway will be replaced with a black tarmac surface. The stone blocks that are being taken out will be stored and reused.
The section of the route that will be resurfaced goes from the Cascade Steps, past the Neptune Statue, over Baldwin Street, running parallel with St Augustine's Parade and finishing at the Colston Avenue crossing.
It will also feature 4 crossing points for pedestrians, refreshed white lines, and large white bike symbols painted throughout. These white lines and bike symbols will also be repainted further along the cycleway from the Cascade Steps to the Prince Street bus stop.
Timings
- Tree removal: completed
- Platforms created over 3 sets of steps that run alongside Broad Quay: completed
- Filling in the 3 fountains, creating a level surface: completed
- Resurfacing cycleway: June 2025
- Artwork project: to follow
- Adding planters, seating and tree planting: to follow
Funding
The Centre Promenade works are projected to cost around £365,000.
This is being funded from different sources, including:
- City Centre and High Street programme funded by Bristol City Council and the West of England Combined Authority
- Bristol City Council through highways capital, harbourside development, harbour estate repair maintenance, and section 106 funding for trees