Passionate Hotwells residents call for rethink on Western Harbour project in Bristol
Residents in the area around Cumberland Basin made their stance against the proposed transformation of the area clear as they met the the Mayor of Bristol.
Holy Trinity Church in Hotwells was packed as locals met with Marvin Rees to discuss plans to radically alter the road network, as part of the Western Harbour project.
The passionate crowd called on the Mayor to rethink removing the existing Plimsoll Bridge and the 1960s concrete road system of Brunel Way from Ashton Gate to Hotwells.
Instead they want the bridge to be retained and refurbished rather than replacing it with one of two options:
A road through Ashton Meadows to a new bridge across the Avon Gorge to the Portway,
A new dual carriageway into the heart of Hotwells close to the Nova Scotia pub.
They was also a lot of concern about the proposals online.
Mr Rees revealed he would rather direct the A370 dual carriageway road that crosses the River Avon and the Cumberland Basin into a tunnel - but that option was too expensive.
He also spoke about the current housing crisis in the city, citing the project as an opportunity to tackle it. Many of the residents who spoke had said they were not against new housing being built as part of the scheme.