Controversial redevelopment plans for the Castle Park area of Bristol city centre have been drastically scaled down following a public outcry.
Bristol City Council’s revised Central Area Plan published today retains the green space between the former Lloyds Bank offices and St Peter’s Church in the park. This area was due to be developed in the original scheme – a move which provoked a long-running campaign to protect the whole of Castle Park as an open space. 
The park, on the site of Bristol’s original castle and its medival centre, is a popular lunchtime haunt of city centre workers and shoppers from nearby Cabot Circus and The Galleries.
Pictured: The revised plan showing the extent of future permitted development
The new plan, which will help to shape development in the centre as a whole, also sets out amended proposals for the corner of High Street, Wine Street and the longer-term regeneration of the built-up land at the western edge of Castle Park.
Mayor of Bristol George Ferguson said today: “I am determined that we regenerate our historic High Street with a superb development.
“The whole point of the consultation exercise, as I made very clear at the time, is to listen to what people have to say. The public response is reflected in the revised proposals set out in the Central Area Plan.
“I believe that the current scheme still offers an attractive way forward that will enable us to meet the concerns of objectors and rid the park of the shameful mess that is currently there.
“This landmark site has been an embarrassment at the heart of the city for too long and Bristol deserves so much better.
“We have an opportunity now to protect and enhance Castle Park, to improve its setting in relation to the old quarter and develop the St Mary-Le-Port site to provide a mix of leisure and retail units, as well as new homes.”
Pictured: The original plan showing the much larger area earmarked for development
The Mayor reiterated a commitment to preserving the rest of the park from development so that it can continue to be enjoyed by future generations.
Councillor Mark Bradshaw, assistant mayor with responsibility for strategic housing and planning, added: “We know the importance of Castle Park to people in Bristol and that any development plans that impinge on it will be widely and closely scrutinised.
“But, as the Mayor and I have been at pains to make clear, re-development of land in this area would only be on the already built-up site on the edge of the park and I fully support measures to protect Castle Park itself for future generations to enjoy.
“The balance set out in the Central Area Plan has been both to protect the heritage of the city and, where we can, to enhance it, and to plan for the future development in order to meet the needs of the businesses and our residents.”
The proposals for the Castle Park/St Mary-le-Port site also include:
* A reinstated Mary–le-Port Street to better connect Bristol Shopping Quarter and the Glass Arcade, including a new pedestrian crossing on High Street
* Possible opportunities to reduce the width of High Street and Wine Street to more closely reflect their historic proportions
The revised Bristol Central Area Action Plan proposals can be found at: http://www.bristol.gov.uk/page/planning-and-building-regulations/bristol-central-area-plan#jump-link-1
