Bedminster is to receive £400,000 to continue efforts to smarten up its run-down retail area and pay towards community projects.
The funding, secured as a result of local businesses voting for a Business Improvement District (BID), follows the South Bristol suburb’s selection as one of the inaugural Portas Towns – areas in need of regeneration chosen by the Government’s retail czar Mary ‘queen of shops’ Portas.
Forming a BID was one of the ideas floated by the Bedminster Town Team following a visit by Ms Portas.
Some 84% of local businesses taking part in a ballot on the BID voted ‘yes’. As a result an additional 1.5% will be added to their annual business rates for the next five years – bringing in a total of £400,000 which will go towards improvements in the street scene, marketing, greening and local community projects.
The Bedminster Town Team has already introduced a series of projects to bring visitors to the area, improve the retail environment and encourage local people to use local shops.
These include Beautiful Bugs of Bedminster, an art installation with 82 uniquely-painted bugs by local schools and urban artists designed to get people looking at the area’s shops and buildings. The colourful bugs are creating a unique art trail around the area.
Meanwhile local artist Ulf Pedersen has completed a commission to create Paradise Gardens, a temporary light installation. It is designed to take inspiration from an historic part of the area, Little Paradise, alongside permanent architectural lighting to create a dramatic effect on key period buildings.
Other initiatives have included the area’s first Christmas lights for almost a decade, which set the scene for Christmas fairs in two streets.
The next project will be the installation of ‘pocket parks’, creating areas of green throughout the retail spaces.
BID chair and general manager of Wilkinsons in Bedminster, Simon Dicken, said: “This is a great accolade for the area and for the work of all the traders and the organising committee who have given their time and expertise to a collective force to improve the area of Bedminster for its shoppers and residents.
“Our aims are to future-proof our high streets and the local economy by combining the existing retail offer with arts, creative and media-based businesses.”
Last year Bedminster received £100,000 to create events and initiatives to improve the retail area and surrounding streets as one of the original 12 Portas Towns
Its retail vacancy rates fell from 8.4% to a four-plus year low of 6.5%. This compared to almost no change in the city-wide vacancy rate over the same period.
Pictured: Mary Portas visiting Bedminster recently as part of her retail revival campaign
