FAQs
The Harbour Activated website will be periodically updated to respond to feedback and questions we are likely to receive, and to add new sites when they become available (sites L3 Millennium Square Compound and B1 Ampitheatre Shed have both been added since the website was launched on 8 September 2025). Prospective bidders are encouraged to check in with the FAQ page to ensure they are aware of the latest guidance. New or refreshed guidance is provided in italics.
What is a landlord pack?
A landlord pack, also referred to as a business plan, is a comprehensive presentation designed to showcase a business or concept to a prospective landlord. A landlord pack may be submitted alongside a completed Expression of Interest form. The structure and content of the landlord pack is at the discretion of the applicant.
What is a meanwhile use?
A temporary occupation of vacant spaces, building or land whilst they await longer term development. Meanwhile uses can be used to revitalise spaces, and explore potential long-term uses. Meanwhile uses can vary in scale and duration. Examples of temporary or ‘meanwhile’ uses in Bristol Harbour include the thriving CARGO community at Wapping Wharf which recently celebrated its 10th anniversary (independent restaurants, bars and shops housed in eye-catching cargo containers), and the temporary use of Redcliffe Wharf by Bump Roller Disco (2020-2023) which was a hugely successful activity for the community and Bristol Urban Beach (6 weeks in 2007), a chilled, sandy space which on a sunny day typically attracted 2-3000 visitors.
What do you class as an event?
A temporary occasion that occurs for less than 28 days.
What is a cultural activation?
An event, concept or business plan that engages a community with culture in everyday life.
How do I send a proposal for an opportunity site?
Head to our Application Process page and download the Expression of Interest form, once complete, please email to harbouractivated@bristol.gov.uk with any other relevant documents such as a landlord pack. For further details on application deadlines, visit ‘Opportunity Sites’ and select the site of interest.
How will Expressions of Interest be assessed?
We have been thrilled by the incredible response and the range of ideas, creativity and ambition shown by so many of you though our initial invitation to submit Expression of Interest. However, as a result, it’s going to take longer to assess proposals than originally envisaged. To help us to assess and review expressions of interest received, we have appointed Colliers International (Bristol) and Fourth Street, to provide the independent commercial and place expertise needed. We now anticipate that decisions on the more significant schemes will not be made until spring 2026. We would then work with successful applicants to further develop their proposals, leading to the drafting and activation of a contract. Proposals will be assessed based on the following considerations: Commerciality: the potential of this project to generate income that can be reinvested in the harbour to support its offer for generations to come. Project Deliverability: this encompasses the applicant’s experience delivering similar projects elsewhere, and how this proposal will likely secure the necessary permissions. Benefits to Bristol: this encompasses opportunities for delivering social impact or value for Bristol and the local area/people, alignment to Place Shaping Strategy, and how the proposal compliments the locality and responds to need/demand.
Applicants will be asked to indicate their preferred site. Where the assessment panel consider the proposal to have merit but feel that there is a more suitable location within the harbour, the applicant will be invited to resubmit their proposal within an agreed timescale.
We are seeking to curate a harbour that is diverse in character. Proposals are sought that complement the existing overall offer within the harbour. Proposals will be rejected if is felt that they may result in an over-saturation of a particular type of use that could undermine the overall viability of businesses in the harbour or undermine the qualities that people value about the harbour.
All applications and proposals will be treated in the strictest of confidence, subject to the obligations imposed on Bristol City Council by law.
I’ve missed the deadline for submitting an Expression of Interest – can I still submit?
The Harbour Activated team remains keen to hear from anyone with a good idea to activate the harbour. We therefore encourage you to get in touch and share your proposal via our email address: harbouractivated@bristol.gov.uk. Whilst we’ve received a really great response to our initial invitation to submit Expression of Interest, we feel the harbour will continue to offer opportunities for operators with commercially viable proposals, that are deliverable and bring benefits to Bristol.
Do I need to have an established business to be eligible?
No, but the viability of your proposal will be taken into account and a track record may help in this regard.
Do I need to be based in Bristol to apply for an opportunity?
No, but we are keen to receive Expressions of Interest from applicants who have fully familiarised themselves with Bristol and its harbour, and can demonstrate that proposals complement their context and align with the future vision for the harbour as expressed in the Harbour Place Shaping Strategy .
How do I get in touch to discuss this opportunity in more detail?
Please email harbouractivated@bristol.gov.uk to set up an online meeting.
What level of support will I receive if successful?
Expressions of Interest will need to demonstrate that proposals (including the necessary supporting infrastructure) are fully self-funded. Neither Bristol City Council nor the Harbour Authority can provide any financial subsidy. It will also be the applicant’s responsibility to secure all the necessary permissions.
Who owns the sites and what length leases are available?
All the sites identified are owned by the Bristol Harbour Authority. Term of lease for discussion with interested parties.
Who is responsible for Bristol’s Harbour?
Bristol City Council is responsible for Bristol Floating Harbour, which is managed by Bristol Harbour Authority, through a dedicated Harbour Committee.
Why is there a need to generate income for the Harbour Authority?
All the sites identified fall within the Dock’s Estate, and as such is managed and operated by the Harbour Authority. A decision was made by Bristol City Council in July 2023 to ring-fence Harbour Authority finances with a view to the medium-term objective for the Harbour to become self-sufficient. Finances have been ring-fenced since April 2024. The Harbour Authority faces significant challenges as the revenue it directly generates from rents, marine activities, car parking, and events does not cover the true costs of maintaining the City Docks in an operational state, and in a condition befitting its heritage status (see Bristol Harbour Business Plan 2025/26 for more details on income and expenditure). The Dock’s Estate therefore needs to use any remaining under-utilised land in its ownership wisely, identifying commercial opportunities across the estate, balancing this against the harbour’s continued significant role in delivering social, environmental and economic value to the city.
Where would we find information regarding footfall around the harbour?
There is some information you might find useful in the Section 7 Culture and Tourism of the Harbour Atlas. The Harbour Atlas pulls together all of the information we hold on the harbour.
I am an existing harbour stakeholder… Can I be kept informed about a particular site that has been identified in the Commercial Prospectus?
We will seek to keep harbour stakeholders updated on those Expressions of Interest that have been selected for progression. This is likely to be done via our website early in the new year (2026). We anticipate that projects will need to secure planning permission prior to trading and this will provide stakeholders with an opportunity to formally raise any concerns they might have, or express support for a particular proposal. If harbour stakeholders have particular concerns about a site which has been included in the Commercial Prospectus, please contact harbouractivated@bristol.gov.uk
Are you open to alternative sites or is this invitation to submit an Expression of Interest only applicable to the sites specified?
Bristol Harbour Authority would be open to a discussion with applicants about sites that are not currently within the prospectus. However, it should be noted that land within the harbour is within multiple ownerships, and we can only consider sites within Harbour Authority ownership -see page 47 of the Harbour Atlas for more information on landownership. More often than not, land within the Harbour Authority ownership is already in operational use, or is already generating an important income stream for the Harbour Authority e.g. car parking, which in turn is reinvested into the management of the harbour.
What are the requirements for being able to move vessels or floating installations?
No floating installation/vessel shall be constructed in a manner that renderers it not readily moveable should the need arise. Where the location lies upstream of fixed bridges or narrow sections of the harbour, the dimensions should not prevent movement downstream through constraints.
Floating installations/vessels should either be capable of self-propulsion or constructed in such a way that facilitates towage when necessary. This is to respond to any future requests from the Harbour Master for the vessel to be temporarily relocated and to allow transit through the harbour to areas where repair, maintenance and survey works can be carried out.
What are the dimensions of mooring opportunities?
Technical details for individual sites have been updated to now include the width as well as length