The site on Coronation Road in Ashton Gate has been earmarked for redevelopment for at least seven years. But on Saturday afternoon, fire crews battled to put out a huge fire in the riverside buildings <\/a>that were once a hive of industry. It had been set ablaze – allegedly by a group of youths who were spotted running away from the scene.<\/p>\n Residents living nearby reported that the plumes of thick black smoke \u2018smelled awful\u2019, and now questions are being asked about what exactly was ablaze at the site known as the \u2018Former Payne\u2019s Shipyard\u2019.<\/p>\n Fire crews were called at around 4.50pm on Saturday, just as a Bristol City match was ending at nearby Ashton Gate Stadium. Six fire appliances rushed to the scene, and firefighters donned breathing apparatus to tackle the flames.<\/p>\n One local resident reported that concrete blocks at the entrance of the site on Coronation Road – initially to prevent access by van dwellers or travellers – had hindered the fire crews from getting quickly into the site.<\/p>\n The former metalworks, called Bristol Metal Spraying & Protective Coatings Ltd, closed in October 2020. In 2019, planning permission was sought by developers for what was planned then to be a luxury residential riverside development. The scheme is to have 154 flats, many with views across the river towards the Clifton<\/a> Suspension Bridge beyond.<\/p>\n Content cannot be displayed without consent<\/p>\n But the development has become mired in delays<\/a>. In 2021, councillors approved the scheme, which was then finally granted planning permission by officers in June 2022. Since then, there have been a number of hold-ups<\/a>, most recently with concerns over the stability of the New Cut riverbank prompting a more in-depth survey this year.<\/p>\n The original developers decided they couldn\u2019t go forward with the project, so sold the site to Sovereign Housing Association, which is now taking it forward as an affordable housing development.<\/p>\n But the decades that the site was in use as a metal-working business has also caused delays. In 2023, Bristol Live reported that initial surveys<\/a> had found the presence of a long list of potentially poisonous heavy metals on the site, and the land would have to be completely decontaminated before any building work could start.<\/p>\n READ MORE: Workshop destroyed by fire in Bristol<\/a>READ MORE: Major update on 154-home riverside development in Bristol after delay<\/a><\/p>\n The survey report was released and reported \u2018significant elevations of metals within the ground have been encountered on the site. Arsenic, Cadmium, Chromium III, Copper, Lead, Nickel and Zinc were all found to be elevated above Generic Assessment Criteria for residential usage\u2019<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/0_BRI_PG_051025bristol_fire-2.jpg\")
The scene and after a major fire on Corronation Road in Bristol, Sunday 5 October 2025, where fire crews were called to a proerty formerly used as a metal workshop(Image: PAUL GILLIS \/ Reach PLC)<\/p>\n
![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/0_BRI_PG_051025bristol_fire-6.jpg\")
The scene and after a major fire on Corronation Road in Bristol, Sunday 5 October 2025, where fire crews were called to a proerty formerly used as a metal workshop. (Image: PAUL GILLIS \/ Reach PLC)<\/p>\n