Resources

The Bristol Harbour Place Shaping Strategy

A key element of the selection process is to ensure that proposed uses align with Bristol Harbour Placemaking Strategy. The harbour will be welcoming to the wider city, inclusive and accessible to all. The harbour will be a place that supports community life. The harbour will balance its world-class tourist offer and events programming with the needs of its diverse local communities and neighbourhoods. The harbour will be a comfortable, open and safe place for people to spend time, and that promotes wellbeing. The harbour will play a vital role in delivering upon Bristol’s zero carbon, biodiversity and climate resilience ambitions. Successful proposals will consider how their proposals can improve the Harbour offer delivering community benefit. 

Power and Utilities

Bristol Harbour Commercial prospectus locations are in the heart of the city, and as a developed urban environment is well served by utilities (gas, electricity, water, sewerage, broadband). It will be the responsibility of the prospective tenant to contact utility companies to establish the exact location of supplies in relation to sites you are interested in and the access to and level of utilities your proposal will require. 

• Wessex Water: Network Maps
• Wales and West Utilities: Our Mapping Services
• Bristol Water: Locate Existing Assets

The cost of connecting to existing services will need to be met by the successful operator. The Environment Agency advise that water and sewerage services to new moorings would need to be designed to allow a boat to move up and down to the design flood level. 

Planning Permission

All activities extending beyond 28 days will require planning permission. It is understood this requirement extends to proposals that use vessels for either residential or commercial purposes. Securing planning permission is the responsibility of the successful operator.  

Proposals will need to comply with policies in the existing Bristol Local Plan. All of the sites identified in this Prospectus fall within the City Centre boundary. Local Plan Policies relevant to retail and related uses in the city centre include BCS2, BCS7 and BCAP13-19 (existing local plan); DS1 and SSE1-6 (new local plan).  

Retail uses are unlikely to be acceptable as the harbour is not a Primary Shopping Area. Policy SSE4 of the new local plan states that retail development outside Primary Shopping Areas will only be acceptable where:  

• It can be demonstrated that there are no available suitable sites or premises in sequentially preferable locations.  

• The proposal is of a small scale (floorspace no greater than 200m²) and aimed at providing for local needs. 

Existing conservation and heritage designations cover the vast majority of the Harbour area. The distinct Conservation Areas (Redcliffe, City and Queen Square) and character areas within them provide a nuanced, place-specific framework for considering heritage value and significance across the study area. These should be used to inform design thinking, thus ensuring that proposals are developed that respond positively to their setting. Relevant design policies include:  BCS2, BCS21 and BCS22 of the Bristol Development Framework Core Strategy (June 2011), Policies DM26, DM27, DM29 and DM31 of the Site Allocations and Development Management Policies (July 2014), Policy BCAP41 of the Bristol Central Area Plan (March 2015), as well as the emerging policies of the new local plan (not yet adopted). 

Bristol City Council Licensing Requirements

Proposals that wish to supply alcohol on or off the premises, or late night refreshment (hot food or hot drink sold between 11pm and 5am), will require a premises licence or Temporary Event Notice (TEN) under the Licensing Act 2003. A licence or TEN is also required if it is intended to provide the following types of entertainment: 

• Theatrical performance 
• Showing a film
• Indoor sporting event
• Boxing or wrestling (indoor or outdoor)
• Live music
• Recorded music
• Dance

You’ll still need a licence even if the activities are for charity. There are some exceptions to the requirements. Visit our premises licence page for more information on Bristol City Council’s licensing requirements. Visit our temporary event page for more information about a Temporary Event Notice. 

Events

Events positively contribute to the lives of the people who live, work and visit the city and have an enriching impact on its culture. They also create a sense of place, attract investment and provide jobs. Bristol City Council has prepared a guide to help navigate the process of applying to hold an event on council managed land in the city.  

Expressions of Interest for future events on these spaces should continue to use BCC’s Events Form. For events (anything under 28 days) please visit our events page.

Markets

Bristol City Council holds the right to control all markets operated within the city of Bristol. Any person or organisation wishing to operate a market within this boundary must apply for a markets licence. The term market includes but is not limited to events such as car boot sales, fairs, antique and craft markets, general markets, farmers markets, street food markets and charity markets. Visit our market page for more information.

Bristol Harbour Mooring Policy

There is a recognised demand in the Bristol Harbour for permanent, dedicated commercial moorings connected to the quayside for primary services. Currently, commercial vessels have dedicated moorings managed by the Harbour Office.  

Commercial moorings are subject to the following controls: 

• All vessels seeking dedicated commercial mooring require planning consent and a mooring agreement drawn up by Legal Services (Property Team). Planning consent ensures control over the appearance of vessels, their arrangements for servicing and effluent disposal, and compatibility with existing or proposed requirements. 
• Any commercial vessel trading in strategic locations of the Harbour affected by events must be able to move to allow for occasional relocation. 

Commercial moorings can be categorised as follows: 

• Pub, restaurant, and entertainment vessels – These types of uses are encouraged in appropriate locations to provide the Floating Harbour area with facilities that complement Bristol City Council’s leisure policy. Care must be taken when selecting locations to ensure that the amenities of nearby residential properties are not detrimentally affected. This includes managing noise, smells, and disturbances from traffic and parking. Such uses of vessels are subject to the usual public entertainment and alcohol licensing requirements. 
• Light industrial – Specific light industrial uses are acceptable in designated locations. Uses such as craft workshops can complement the Maritime Heritage theme of the harbour and provide working examples of traditional skills for visitors to enjoy. Noise may be a factor in the vessel’s proposed use; therefore, locations must not detrimentally affect nearby residential amenities. 
• Floating hotels –There are a few opportunities for floating hotels on a relatively small scale in the Floating Harbour. Constraints include the need for the vessel to have a suitable appearance and for satisfactory vehicle access and associated car parking. Car parking will not be permitted alongside the vessel on the quayside. 
• Water passenger transport services – Additional development opportunities for water passenger transport services may require “depot berths.” Therefore, shore-based facilities may be necessary, subject to planning and, most likely, landlord control. 

When considering proposals for the commercial use of a vessel, Bristol City Council looks for proposals involving vessels with intrinsic interest in terms of their age, type, or historical connections with the city, or conversions sympathetic to their original form and function. 

No car parking rights will be conferred with commercial mooring, although service access is usually possible. If planning policy requires parking connected with the use of a vessel, it must be provided in an acceptable form and location as part of the planning consent, including agreement with Bristol City Council whenever the Council’s landholding is involved. 

All refuse and waste generated by the use will, wherever possible, be stored on board the vessel unless it is connected to a mains sewer. Bins must be kept aboard and stored satisfactorily to avoid prejudicing the appearance of the vessels. Vessels must comply with the Harbour Master’s requirements for refuse and waste disposal, which may vary depending on the disposal regime in operation. 

The City Centre Local Plan recognises the value of courtesy and historic craft in adding variety and character to the Harbour. Courtesy moorings will continue to be provided for Naval and other major seagoing vessels visiting the city, usually for short-term periods. Serviced areas within the Harbour Arena will be reserved for this purpose. 

The following criteria will be applied in considering the provision of courtesy and historic mooring: 

• Courtesy and historic vessels visiting the Harbour on a short-term basis will be licensed in the usual manner, and services will be provided. 
• Some historic vessels may be moored in the Harbour on a long-term basis, serving as floating museums or having a commercial function. 
• Limited operational car parking may be considered for courtesy or historic mooring. 

For permanent commercial vessels, regular surveys every five years are required to maintain insurance coverage, which is essential for their continued presence in the harbour. Similarly, any visiting historic vessels must also provide proof of valid insurance. 

View the City Docks Operational Moorings and Facilities Policy 2025 – 2030 for further information on Bristol City Council’s Harbour Mooring Policy.

Marine Management Organisation Permission 

Proposals that seek to create a pontoon with a deck structure of over 30sqm may require the permission of the Marine Management Organisation. This is a significant consideration as the process is both lengthy and costly.  Visit the Marine Licensing exempted activities page for more information.  

Flood Risk Assessment

Most of the sites identified in the Commercial Prospectus are located within Flood Zone 3 which is land defined as having a ‘high’ risk of flooding.  All new development in Flood Zone 3 must pass the Sequential Test unless allocated in the Local Plan. Change of use is (usually) also exempt from the sequential test. Proposals must also demonstrate in a site-specific Flood Risk Assessment, that it will be safe from flooding for its lifetime without increasing flood risk to others. More vulnerable uses such as holiday or short-let caravans must also pass an exception test.  

Works in, over, under or within 8 metres of the harbour may require an Environmental Permit for Flood Risk Activities (FRAP) from the Environment Agency. Further details can be found on our guidance page. The Environment Agency offer pre-application advice on permits by emailing bridgwater.FRAP@environment-agency.gov.uk.  

Any new in-channel structures would need to be strongly tethered to avoid them breaking free during a flood. They would need to comply with navigation requirements and a FRAP from the Environment Agency would be required. Consideration would need to be given as to whether any proposed walkways or structures would impede future Harbour wall repairs and structural and visual inspection. Any new pontoon walkways should not be fixed structures but be designed to rise up to the design flood level with capped mooring piles as per previous approvals. 

Water Quality

Water quality has improved significantly over the last thirty years in the harbour. However, sudden heavy rainfall still causes changes in the water quality from time to time. Weekly and monthly bacteriological water samples are taken throughout the harbour to monitor the water quality and record trends. Visit our water quality and pollution page for more information. 

Swimming in harbour waters is illegal without permission of the Harbour Authority. For the past three years, supervised open water swimming has been allowed at Baltic Wharf under strict controls. Each week, water samples and weather conditions are checked to ensure the water is safe and meets bathing standards before swim sessions happen. 

Clean Air Zone

Bristol Harbour is located within Bristol’s Clean Air Zone. The Government set legal limits for pollution and Bristol City Council has introduced a Clean Air Zone to ensure Bristol meets those limits. Bristol’s zone is now live. You must pay to drive within the zone if your vehicle does not meet the zone’s emission standards, unless you have an exemption.  

Whilst the Clean Air Zone does not specifically mention wood burning stoves, the Harbour Authority discourages their use by boaters. Proposals for wood-burning saunas, for example, would similarly be discouraged, with applicants being asked to explore electricity or gas powered solutions instead. 

Waste Management

The harbour is a popular area used by both tourists and residents, with significant peaks in visitor numbers from spring through to autumn with outdoor socialising and events creating waste and litter issues. Visitor surveys identify that street cleanliness is a major concern to visitors. There are high numbers of restaurants, bars, pubs, cafes and take-aways along the waterfront which contribute to the need for effective waste and litter management. Proposals will be required to consider waste management fully.