Office blocks ‘could wipe out historic views’
OFFICE buildings planned for a derelict corner of Castle Park could “wipe out” views of the historic city centre.
That is the concern of architect and former Bristol Mayor George Ferguson, who is not alone in his views about the St Mary le Port redevelopment.
Developer MEPC unveiled its vision last month to transform the eyesore site, which consists of the three former bank buildings surrounding the ruined St Mary le Port church tower.
It plans to build three office buildings with shops, cafes, restaurants and bars on the ground floor, and open up the ruins of the tower to the public.
Mr Ferguson, who was previously president of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), said he supports the plan to reinstate the old street pattern.
However, he fears the size of the buildings will “overpower Bristol’s medieval heart, wiping out views of its historic spires and towers”.
He said: “It’s probably three storeys too high and will block out the wonderful relationship we currently get between Castle Park and the old city.
“The city end of the park desperately needs a good edge, I’m absolutely in favour of development there, but what’s important is the urban scale.
“People won’t understand the scale of this until it happens.”
He agreed that the existing buildings are “horrible” and there is a need to improve the space, which has been neglected for decades after previous redevelopment plans failed.
Mr Ferguson stressed that his criticism was not of the architects who have drawn up the plans, who he said are some of the best in the business, but rather the brief they are working from.
He added: “It’s bang in the middle of the medieval city and in any historic city in Europe this would be a treasured site.
“[The proposal] is absolutely fine to do in Temple Quay or somewhere like that, in one of the new commercial centres, but to my mind we need to be much more sensitive to the skyline. It’s not about reproducing historic architecture, but there is an opportunity to recreate the scale of the High Street.”
He also argued that there should be some residential element to the mixed-used scheme proposed by MEPC, to address the housing shortage and encourage more footfall in the centre.
In response to a Post article last month, several readers echoed similar concerns about the scale of the buildings.
One commenter questioned why the buildings had to be “so huge”.
However, others spoke positively of the plans or at least commented on how it was an improvement on the existing street view.
One reader wrote: impressed with this.
“That corner of our city has been a derelict eyesore for decades and this development is imaginative, unusual (with a nod to the Dutch House re the brown building) and will regenerate this area – which is long overdue.”
Volunteer group Friends of Castle Park, which works to preserve and improve the green space, has also voiced support for the project.
They are pleased with the prospect of “rescuing” the St Mary le Port tower, bringing back historic streets lost to the Bristol Blitz, and the creation of a new public open space around the tower.
A statement by the group when the plans were unveiled read: “Rather than looking onto the backside of some ugly buildings, the view from the park will be improved with attractive, active frontages and buildings with living walls so they become part of the park. We were reassured by the level of thought that had gone into the design of the buildings and their relationship to the park.”
One of the buildings will be inspired by the Dutch House, an iconic large timber-framed landmark that was destroyed during the 1940 bombings.
Another element of the plan is to enhance the entrance to Castle Park from Bristol Bridge, with a new landscaped area with public seating.
MEPC has previously said that its proposal will “restore historic Bristol” and make the site “part of the extended heritage trail in the Old City”. It held an initial consultation on the plans last month but feedback can still be submitted via its website before a planning application is prepared. “Really