It proves just how much the city needs its parking spaces
The Bristol Beacon(Image: reach)
We’re lucky here in Bristol to benefit from an incredible live music scene as well as venues that play host to some of the biggest music acts and theatre productions from all over the world.
In one patch of the city centre alone, you’re in walking distance of Bristol’s three main venues for such events – the Bristol Hippodrome, the Bristol Beacon, and the O2 Academy.
Gigs and theatre performances take place at these three venues not just at weekends, but throughout the week. And there often comes an occasion where you’ll find all three hosting must-see artists and stage shows on the same evening.
While this makes for a bustling city centre and showcases how much us Bristolians relish live music and theatre, it can be an absolute nightmare for those driving in, as everyone battles for the very limited nearby parking. And this will only worsen if plans to knock down a number of Bristol’s car parks do go ahead.
Recently, I was venturing out to a gig at the Bristol Beacon on a Tuesday evening, where The Stranglers (who have been selling out venues in Bristol for years now) were due to play.
Meanwhile, just across the road at the O2 Academy, fellow English rock band of the 80s, The Psychadelic Furs, were also drawing in a huge crowd for their gig there on that same night.
And around the corner, massive queues of people were forming to get into the Bristol Hippodrome for a sell-out production of award-winning hit musical ‘The Book of Mormon’. It was incredible to see, and certainly not a rare sight for a bustling city such as ours.
But while trying to find a parking space, I found myself asking if anyone behind the car park demolition plans had ever properly experienced attending events or, just in general, living in the centre of Bristol or spending any amount of time longer than a brief bit of shopping or a day in the office.
Three venues, three hugely popular shows, all of the bars, pubs and restaurants nearby, and two car parks with the benefit of being in walking distance of each of those venues, almost completely full to the brim with still a couple of hours before the live music was due to start.
Trenchard Street car park in Bristol(Image: Bristol Live)
We ventured to our go-to, College Street car park, first to find no spaces bar those reserved for residents, electric charging points and a couple of tents and sleeping bags where homeless people are a regular sight. We were behind three cars in our ‘tour’ of the place, with many more behind us – all with the same idea – and we all then made the journey to the Trenchard Street Car Park just opposite the Beacon.
This too was full, until we made it to the very top level and managed to secure ourselves a space, one of the last remaining. As we were walking out to get a pre-gig drink at neighbouring The Hatchet pub, queues were building to get in and park – and again, there was still lots of time before either band at the O2 Academy and the Bristol Beacon were due on stage.
And while Trenchard Street and College Street car parks seem to be unaffected by plans to demolish some of the city’s car parks, it will only cause more strain and queues on busy event nights like this one no matter which of them get the chop. And if you’re venturing elsewhere in the city for a gig or show, such as an in-store gig at Bristol’s Rough Trade or at Electric Bristol (formerly SWX) – both of which are located on Nelson Street – will it even be possible to find somewhere close to park, especially during peak shopping times around Christmas or when summer events and festivals are in full swing?
BristolLive reported in April that at least five well-known public car parks in and around the centre of Bristol are part of plans to be demolished and redeveloped into housing. A couple of NCP multi-storeys alongside three open-air council car parks could see themselves turned into several hundred homes, following separate propositions.
The Nelson Street NCP car park in Bristol City Centre(Image: Google Maps)
Nelson Street NCP car park (close to Rough Trade, Electric Bristol and Strange Brew) is on the list of car parks slated for demolition, to be replaced with a 20-storey building containing some 565 student beds and commercial units on the ground floor. Rupert Street NCP is also on the list, to make way for some 328 student rooms and 249 co-living rooms, though plans here do include a 400-space public car park.
Others on the list include The Grove car park by the Thekla music venue, the SS Great Britain car park, and Portwall Lane car park. With Bristol’s long-awaited arena venue still seemingly a ways off, and live music acts booking more and more tours and gigs in the city these days, I fear that every parking space is vital to keeping our beloved venues open and people from the suburbs and outskirts of our hometown able to enjoy what the City Centre has to offer.