Harbourside rooftop terrace faces rejection because it will 'spoil the view' (2025)

The plan is to create a new spot for a stunning panoramic but heritage experts don't like it

A plan to create a huge rooftop terrace at the heart of Bristol’s floating harbour to give people panoramic views across the historic city looks set to be blocked by the city council - because it will partially obscure one glimpse of Bristol Cathedral from a spot across the water.

City Hall planning officers are set to recommend councillors refuse to give permission for the creation of the rooftop terrace on top of the V-Shed building at the harbourside, when the request goes before a committee at the end of this month.

The owner of the V-Shed wants to create a rooftop terrace that would run the whole length of the waterfront building, and be divided into three different terrace bar areas, for each of the three current occupants - Coyote Ugly, Wetherspoons and the Ritorno Lounge.

Each bar would have its own access stairs and disability-accessible lift, and customers would be able to sit and enjoy the panoramic views from the top, which give spectacular vistas across to Brandon Hill, the cathedral, up St Augustine’s Reach, across to Prince Street Bridge and the M-Shed and down the Floating Harbour towards the SS Great Britain.

The terrace would be designed so no one can get too close to the edge, and it would have glass panelled sides to prevent people throwing anything from the rooftop.

The plan has been backed by the council’s own economic development team, as well as local councillor Patrick McAllister (Green, Hotwells and Harbourside), but it has run into trouble with council planners for one specific reason.

The plan would see solar panels fitted onto the cantilever part of the roof on the west side, and a pergola canopy to provide shelter and shade along one side of the terrace. As well as that, the three service structures to house the lifts from each of the three bars would stick up above the roofline too.

The extra structures on the roof mean the view from a certain spot on the corner of Narrow Quay by the Arnolfini across the top of the V-Shed building to a glimpse of the tower of Bristol Cathedral would be partially obscured - and that, according to council planners, is enough to recommend the entire project be rejected.

The current view

At present, anyone standing on the corner of Narrow Quay, near the statue of John Cabot can just about catch a glimpse of Bristol Cathedral over the rooftop of the V-Shed building. That view is described as an 'important view of the Cathedral and Listed skyline landmarks'.

The owned of V-Shed, a firm called Padmanor Investments, originally proposed a rooftop terrace that would almost totally obscure that glimpse, but have compromised and scaled back the pergola so that the cathedral can still be glimpsed from the ground across the water, but is still slightly obscured.

The original plans

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Both Historic England, the Government’s heritage body, and Bristol City Councl’s own heritage department, have both objected to Padmanor’s new modified plans.

The council’s heritage department is at loggerheads with its economic development department, which has backed the project, saying it will provide a good economic boost to the city’s bar and restaurant industry.

The new modified plans

“The public benefits are minimal,” Bristol City Council ’s heritage department has told planners. “There is no great benefit to the public in getting further access to the building’s roof where public access to these views already exists elsewhere, and would not reveal better views; on the contrary the development would block views already enjoyed by the public,” they added.

“There is no adequate evidence basis to demonstrate tangible economic benefits to the wider public through development. There would be a very low degree of benefit to the construction industry for a limited time period, and private economic benefit to businesses with expanded premises. Any genuine and tangible public benefits that would arise directly from development are slight, and attract little weight in the planning balance.

“The harm would not be substantial in nature, but would impact highly significant heritage assets, ones particularly sensitive to inappropriate development. The harm is disproportionate to the generally small scale of development, unjustified, and not in the public interest. The public benefits are ill-defined and slight. In the planning balance, they would not offset the great weight required in favour of conservation of the historic environment,” they added.

Historic England has also objected. Its experts have told the city council even the scaled back pergola is still a problem. “The position of the view taken from outside the Arnolfini has for many centuries been the line of and the entrance into the historic Narrow Quay,” they said.

“The historic association between this point and the Cathedral has been evident for a significant period of time, also well before the creation of the Quay when this was a low lying marsh at the confluence of the Avon and Frome rivers. The impacts remain as a result of the proposed pergola structure and also the stair risers to the roof,” they added.

The V-Shed building is one of the original loading sheds for Bristol’s docks, and once had moveable cranes on the roof. Local Green Party councillor Patrick McAllister has backed the idea. “I believe the renovation and greening of the building to be more efficient is in accordance with net zero principles and Bristol's climate goals,” he said. “This application will have a positive impact on the leisure and nighttime economies in the area,” he added.

Cllr McAllister has been to the rooftop itself, and said opening it up to people will provide more views of the historic parts of the city, than might be lost from one spot.

“I believe that creating these new views from a publicly accessible location will more than outweigh the now-mitigated reduction in view towards Bristol Cathedral from around the Arnolfini,” he said.

“Being able to see these views myself when I was invited to view the site made me eager to enable the whole city to benefit from them,” he added.

The council’s own economic development officer is also in support of the application. “The proposals would make a positive contribution to the day and nighttime economy of Bristol City Centre,” he told council planners.

All three businesses are backing the project. The owners of Ritorno Lounge, the Bristol-based Loungers chain, only recently opened in what was Pitcher & Piano. Having a rooftop restaurant would boost their trade. “Since opening our restaurant, Ritorno Lounge has proved hugely popular,” a spokesperson said.

“We strongly believe this project offers the chance to transform the building into a one of a kind, year-round harbourside destination to the benefit of the local economy and food and beverage industry,” they added.

A total of 25 letters of support have been received, and no member of the public has objected. “This is an excellent idea to revitalise an under-used space and would enable people to appreciate and experience the skyline and local views,” one member of the public wrote. “Bristol is extremely lacking in roof top bars when compared to other cities,” they added.

The rooftop terrace plan is going before councillors at the planning committee on April 30.