About the Castle Park project
Castle Park sits at the heart of a rapidly changing Bristol. It's an important place with a history stretching back to the city's beginnings in the 11th century.
Everyone who lives and works in Bristol should feel that they can use and enjoy the city's parks and green spaces.
From 15 September we're launching a city-wide engagement exercise called Castle Park Conversations. This aims to capture the thoughts from people of all ages and backgrounds to help make sure Castle Park is welcoming for everybody.
We know from the consultation feedback on the City Centre Development and Delivery Plan that Castle Park has its challenges. The consultation showed that people want to improve Castle Park and keep it green and welcoming.
For the next steps, we'll discuss and test ideas that came from the consultation. We want to make real improvements to the area.
The vision established through this engagement is to make Castle Park a place that is:
- inclusive
- connected
- respected
- celebrated
- strengthened
Read on to find out how to get involved.
Castle Park and the wider city centre
Developments at Broadmead, St Mary-le-Port and Temple Quarter are reshaping the city centre. Castle Park has an important role to play in how people move, connect and spend time in this changing part of Bristol.
These parts of the city centre have been identified with the greatest need for changes and represent the primary areas of opportunity for regeneration.
A vision for Castle Park's masterplan already exists in the pdf City Centre Development and Delivery Plan(21.71 MB) , which sets out how Bristol city centre should evolve in the coming years. We're now in the next stages of developing this proposal into a deliverable and phased project.
Map of the City Centre Development and Delivery Plan study area:
Previous work on Castle Park
This work builds on years of discussion and planning for Castle Park, including our consultation in 2022.
This consultation spoke to a range of groups through meetings, workshops and an online survey, featuring an interactive map, which generated more than 300 responses.
You can read the feedback shared on page 113 in the pdf Bristol City Centre Development and Delivery Plan(14.38 MB) .
This follows several consultations and surveys on Castle Park over the last 15 years. The development and delivery plan builds on this.
Over the past decade the surrounding area has seen Bristol's most rapid population growth and significant development.
We want to:
- build on the work we've already done
- work with you to make sure Castle Park continues to reflect our changing city
This is where everyone who lives, works near or visits Castle Park can help us.
We want to hear from you
We need to look at what's possible, testing our thinking with local people and businesses to take the next steps along the path to creating a better Castle Park.
We're inviting people to contribute to the next stage of the design process. You can get involved online, offline and in person.
Many people have already shared their views, and we've listened to all feedback.
Not everything is up for discussion. We'll be clear about where your ideas can make a difference, especially on play, safety, accessibility and caring for the park.
We're especially keen to find out:
- your ideas for play, safety and accessibility
- what would make the park feel more welcoming and better connected
The project takes place over the following stages:
- Stage 1: We want to hear from you during the early stages of testing the visionary masterplan, from September to December 2025
- Stage 2: We will share how your feedback has fed into the design process, from early 2026
- Stage 3: We will share the planning proposals with the public, from late 2026
Share your thoughts with us
As part of Castle Park Conversations, we're inviting you to share your reflections. You can write it down or video it. We'd like to know:
- what Castle Park means to you
- how you use it
- how you'd like to see it change
Through our earlier consultations, we've collated your feedback on the proposed vision. We're now using creative methods with our engagement partners Play:Disrupt to inform our next steps, including through the events outlined below.
We'll provide regular updates on this page on how and when you can get involved, including events, contact details and further information.
Share a short video
Upload a 30 to 60 second video using our form. We'll collect your contribution as part of Castle Park Conversations and may share it on this website, social media or at events.
Send us your thoughts
You can also share your thoughts by:
- email: castlepark@distinctivecomms.co.uk
- post: Freepost DISTINCTIVE
- Freephone: 0330 107 0535
Distinctive Communications are supporting us with the Castle Park Conversations campaign. If you contact them using the details on this page, your personal information may be shared with our appointed partners, LDA Design and Play:Disrupt to support the engagement and design development process.
Join us in person
We'll have a full day of discussion and activity around St Peter's Church in Castle Park on Saturday 11 October.
Bring the family along to let us know your thoughts and take part in:
- Dr Bike from the Bristol Bike Project
- model making and building
- pop up play activities
- park soundscape
- making clay gargoyles
- guided sensory walks
You can also join us at 3 pop-up events in Castle Park on:
- Friday 3 October, from 10:30am to 2pm
- Tuesday 7 October, from 12:30pm to 4pm
- Wednesday 8 October, from 10:30am to 2pm
We'll also be hosting workshops to gather the thoughts of people who live and work in Old Market, Redcliffe and St Judes during October.
We'll run additional workshops to hear more from demographics who face the most barriers to accessing and enjoying open space, including:
- disabled people
- ethnically minoritised people
- LGBTQ+ communities
- faith groups
- women
- older people
Find out more on our Eventbrite page.
We also want to capture people's views in Castle Park at these events, to create a film about our conversations. We'll share this film at future events.