Stapleton Road Station

In an initial partnership with the Bristol Permaculture group supported by the Federation of City Farms and Community Gardens, BEST moved the idea from a big dream to a realistic project. After negotiations with Network Rail, First Great Western, Bristol City Council Planning, Transport and Sustainable Development and consultation with the Severnside Community Rail Partnership and local community groups..?

Fast forward 3 years, and those ideas have now become a tangible list of every community's dreams! With a newly formed organisation (born out of the Bristol Permaculture group) `Eastside Roots' on the ground, a vacancy for a Project Co-ordinator, and a 3-year short-term lease from Network Rail, the project is finally on the right side of the tracks.

The big plans include a mobile community garden centre, a mobile café, living gallery space, gardening courses with a therapy focus and various volunteer based activities. And although none of these plans are yet to be set in stone, what is now a certainty is that a once depraved and lost area of the city will become a social, communal and accessible space- and a gateway to one of Bristol's most diverse and dynamic neighbourhoods.

Claire Louise Osmond - “This project has come with its battles but along the way there have been triumphs as well. The fact that 3 years down the line we are still talking about this, and that we now have a signed lease and a strong team to make this happen is a testament of the will of all those involved.”

The environmental impact of the project should also not be overlooked. Local residents who may not have been keen to use the station will see vast improvements to green space and accessibility. And the old wildlife corridor and open space policy on the station land will be enhanced dramatically by the plans.

But the regeneration success story doesn't stop there! The commitment that BEST has shown the project has put some pressure on some of the UK's biggest companies to jump onboard. Now First Great Western will be enhancing the train services to the station with an increased timetable in May 2008. 

What is really crucial in this tale of community action is that there are millions of these small unidentified areas of the British urban landscape that go unnoticed - and as we build new shopping centres and roads, we forget that it is these spaces that help to keep communities together, that create jobs, that challenge crime and that may hold the keys to sustainable communities.

As we go to press, Bristol City Council has not confirmed planning permission for the project.

Shopfront Improvements

Scaffolding will be going up on 20+ shops on Stapleton Road. The work on each shop should take less than two months, and you may be inconvenienced – but the street’ll look much better afterwards. As they say – “No pain, no gain”!

Stapleton Road Steering Group

We continue to meet on the second Monday of every month to discuss on-going projects and to plan for the challenges ahead. All members of the local resident and business community are welcome so why not come along and have your chance to air your views, concerns and ideas. For more information contact us