Greening
Tom Swithinbank
Senior Project Manager
Through our greening projects, we aim to enhance the outdoor environment of the city by creating and maintaining high-quality green spaces. Our goal is to make our city centre vibrant, sustainable, safe, and welcoming for everyone to enjoy.
Learn more about our greening projects below.
Wildflower Meadows
In 2022, we partnered with St Mary Redcliffe Church and Avon Wildlife Trust to create a wildflower meadow on the church grounds. Volunteers attended sessions to create four flowerbeds where they raked the topsoil and sowed wildflower seeds. In 2023 and 2024, we hosted additional volunteer sessions to create a fifth flowerbed on the church grounds.
The meadow boasts over 40 annuals, biennials, and perennials, including Common Knapweed, Birds-foot Treefoil, Meadow Cranesbill, and Lady’s Bedstraw. This nature-rich environment for pollinators and local wildlife provides a stunning backdrop for church visitors and passersby.
In October of 2023, Bristol City Centre BID enhanced an existing Avon Wildlife Trust wildflower meadow on Brandon Hill, with the help of lunchtime volunteers from our business community. Volunteers helped to turn over soil to plant new wildflower seeds, ensuring that the beautiful meadow would provide key nutrients for pollinators like bees and butterflies.
Green Walls
In September 2022, we completed another recommended improvement with the creation of a Green Wall on Rupert Street. This project has added some beautiful greenery to this car-dominated location and aims to bring some joy to all who see it.
In March 2024, we installed a green wall and five additional planters on Redcliff Street to add more vibrancy and nature to the area. The green wall includes carefully chosen climbing plants, encouraged to grow up the steel trellis above the planter. This provides year-round colour to the concrete-dominated area, enhancing the visual appeal of the street.
Planters
In June 2019, 35 planters funded by Bristol BID were installed in a variety of locations around the city to add some simple colour and greenery. Since their install, we’ve repainted the planters with art from the brilliant Farrah Fortnum and added sustainable planting that looks good all year round. With regular maintenance and support from our host businesses we ensure the planters look great and offer a more sustainable alternative to traditional floral displays that need regular watering and replacing throughout the year.
In 2021, we installed 12 planters on the Brunel Mile. Seven can be found outside Portwall Place, and five outside Freshford House on Redcliff Street. All planters were painted with eye-catching murals thanks to Farrah Fortnam, adding an extra splash of colour to this key pedestrian route.
Since June 2023, Bristol BID have maintained 40 planters dotted across the Old City, keeping the area looking appealing for both businesses and visitors. We think that these are an effective way of adding a pop of colour and greening to inner city areas.