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Connected projects

The Bristol Avon Flood Strategy

Flood defences are needed for the whole of Bristol. The Bristol Avon Flood Strategy sets out how we can better protect homes and businesses from flooding from the River Avon. There are no designs yet – Western Harbour masterplanners will need to work with the council’s flood risk team and the Environment Agency to ensure that flood defences are integrated into the local area, in a way that enhances public spaces, improves active travel routes, and protects heritage. Read more about flood defences for Bristol on the Flood risk strategy page on the BCC website. To see the latest updates on the Bristol Avon Flood Strategy visit Ask Bristol.

The 2019 Transport Consultation

In 2019 BCC commissioned a transport feasibility study to help us better understand the options for Western Harbour’s transport network. This assessed 10 approaches to replace the Cumberland Basin Road System with new routes across the River Avon. Initial views from the community were sought on the three approaches that were considered most viable at the time. You can find a summary of these responses in the Western Harbour transport engagement report. Following this, it was decided to talk to local and citywide communities about their hopes for the area before deciding on any more detailed changes, leading to the Harbour Hopes engagement and the Vision for the area which will guide decisions going forwards.

A4 Portway transport improvements

Plans for the A4 Portway will improve bus, cycling and walking journeys along one of the main routes to and from the Western Harbour area. An engagement exercise relating to this took place in the summer of 2022. A section of the A4 Portway - from Hotwell Road, Dowry Place and Oldfield Place, including the elevated flyover system - was not in the scope of the engagement exercise as it is part of the Western Harbour project. Feedback from all engagement and consultation activities is being shared between both projects.

The Harbour Operations Review

A Harbour Operational Review undertaken in 2022 highlighted that the existing harbour legislation, last updated 25 years ago in 1998, is no longer fit for purpose and a new Harbour Revision Order (HRO) needs to be adopted. In July 2023 Cabinet gave its approval to apply to the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) for a new Harbour Revision Order (HRO) and to create assured ring-fenced financial accounts for the harbour. The application for an HRO was submitted to the MMO in January 2024. It has since been validated and is now going through the standard MMO process, anticipated to take 18 months to be approved.

The Harbour Place Shaping Strategy

The Harbour Place Shaping Strategy (HPSS) sets out a broad and ambitious vision for the future of Bristol’s Floating Harbour and its next 20 years of growth and transformation.

The strategy has three parts:

  • Harbour Atlas – a detailed picture of the harbour as it is today
  • The Vision – an overarching direction of travel and ambition for the harbour
  • Waterspace and Place Plans – a set of six area-focused plans plus a plan for the water space itself. These set out how each distinct area of the harbour, with its own qualities, opportunities and challenges, could play its part in delivering the Vision.

Between 23 September and 4 November 2024, Bristol City Council consulted on the Harbour Place Shaping Strategy (HPSS) – the draft Vision, Waterspace Plan and Place Plans. The HPSS sets out a broad and ambitious long term vision for the future of Bristol’s Floating Harbour. The vision seeks to capture the city’s hopes and aspirations, describing a harbour for Bristol that would be:

  • Accessible and welcoming to all Bristol's communities and visitors
  • Able to adapt to climate change and better support wildlife and nature
  • Thriving economically
  • A place for recreation, and to experience the rich maritime heritage and culture of the city.

The HPSS has been informed by extensive engagement.

To find out more information about the strategy please visit Ask Bristol, Harbour Place Shaping Strategy.

Bristol’s Clean Air Zone

The government has directed Bristol, and other cities, to reduce harmful pollution from vehicles in the shortest possible time. The size of the zone and its boundary has been designed to meet legal air quality targets in the central area where air quality is worst.

Central areas of the city and main routes, which include the Portway and the Cumberland Basin, have breached legal levels of pollution for several years because of the number of vehicles that use them. For this reason they are included in the Clean Air Zone, which was introduced in 2022.

Anyone driving within the Clean Air Zone will need to pay a daily charge if their vehicle does not meet the zone’s emission standards.

Find out more about Bristol’s Clean Air Zone

Bristol’s Local Plan review

Bristol’s emerging Local Plan will set out how the city can develop up to 2040 to deliver the new homes and jobs we need and safeguard the environmental assets we value. A 2019 consultation on the Local Plan Review identified a number of areas of growth and regeneration, including Western Harbour, to support this. At the end of October 2023, Full Council approved Bristol’s new draft local plan for publication. The local plan was submitted to the Secretary of State on 25 April 2024. For more information and to find out how you can contribute see the Local Plan Review page on the BCC website.

Other changes happening nearby

A number of other projects are happening near the Western Harbour Project Area. These include: