Supporting Bristol's retail centres

Retail Centres are an important part of any city. They provide access to a range of services as well as shops and are vital to all communities.

Bristol has around 50 clearly identifiable retail centres, from the city centre, featuring the recently opened Cabot Circus as well as Broadmead, to the local centres, with their collections of small convenience stores, public libraries and specialist independent shops.

In 2006, Bristol City Council commissioned an extensive study into the health and prospects of Bristol's retail centres. The study was intended to inform the Bristol Development Framework and make a number of recommendations to enhance the viability and vitality of retail centres across the city.

Following the publication of the Retail Study Report in June 2007, Bristol City Council consulted on the report's findings and recommendations. This consultation added a number of other recommendations for how the city council could provide support to the city's retail centres.

In October 2008, in response the Study and consultation, the city council published a Progress Report, providing a commentary upon those findings and recommendations, together with listing actions undertaken by the city council and its partners in response.

The latest progress reports are being added to the related links section below as they become available.

Place management

The council is currently running Place Management pilots, working with retailers and local communities to enhance retail centres.  Place Management aims to co-ordinate the activities of a range of council services and other agencies (e.g. police) to make areas more attractive to visit, which should in turn increase footfall for businesses.

Centres included in the pilot include:

• Ashley Road/Grosvenor Road
• Stokes Croft
• Gainsborough Square (Lockleaze)
• Avonmouth
• Ridingleaze
• Shirehampton, and
• Bedminster 

The following themes are included in the action plans:

• transport
• parking
• cleansing
• waste
• parks and open space
• property
• licensing
• marketing
• crime, and
• safety

If you are a trader or a resident who would like to highlight a problem or idea about any of these centres please email placemanagement@bristol.gov.uk

Download the Action Plans for each of the centres from the related links section below.

Empty shops and promotion initiative

Bristol City Council has received funding from the Department of Communities and Local Government to encourage the "temporary" use of empty shops during the recession.  The council has established a £26,000 fund to support the costs of bringing empty shops into use for "temporary" activities that benefit the local community. 

BCC is now inviting organisations (arts-based organisations, community groups or registered charities) to bid for funding to support projects, which promote the pilot Place Management areas and/or bring empty shops into use for a "temporary" period. 

The deadline for applications is 5pm on 11 November 2009. 

Download the Guidance Notes, Application Form and Frequently Asked Questions.