A plan to create a unique viewing cabin that would soar 69 metres into the sky above Bristol city centre from the roof of We The Curious has been dropped - but the inventor said he is still looking for an alternative venue to carry out the project.
The Arc would have created a new visitor attraction for Bristol, and taken ‘passengers’ on a 20 minute ‘flight’ from the roof of the city centre science museum. It did, controversially, win planning permission in April 2021, but then in April this year, We The Curious was hit by a devastating rooftop fire that has caused the attraction to be closed for the past nine months.
With no re-opening date yet confirmed, the team at We The Curious said the time taken out has caused them to reflect on the project, and they are no longer going ahead with it ‘at this time’.
Read more: Taco Bell announces Bristol opening date with free food giveaway
The project was first mooted in 2019 when inventor Nick Stubbs got together with the bosses at the educational charity We The Curious, and first announced in February 2020. The plan would have seen a giant levered arm anchored in Millennium Square, pivoting and lifting a glass viewing cabin off the roof of We The Curious and in a circular ‘flight’ high above the city centre for 20 minutes at a time.
Despite winning the backing of city leaders and tourism chiefs - and obtaining planning permission despite planning officers recommending it for refusal - the project had not got started when an electrical fire in the solar panels on the roof of the We The Curious building caused substantial damage to the roof and upper floors.
That was back on April 9 this year and in June, We The Curious said the damage was worst than first thought and its plans to reopen were still not finalised, and it would not be until at least 2023, with no set date fixed. We the Curious chief executive Donna Speed said that in the three years since first getting started on The Arc project in 2019, the venue has seen a 14-month closure because of Covid-19 and then a year closure because of the fire.
“As with many others, it has been a challenging few years; and with the current position that we find ourselves in, facing another unplanned period of closure following the fire, it’s given us cause to pause and reflect on our plans for the next few years,” she said. “Right now, we need to focus on our charitable mission and aims and getting our beautiful venue reinstated and open.
“This, together with remaining present for our audience during this period of closure, needs to be a top priority, and is a huge task for our hard-working teams. Sadly, this means we’re simply not in a place where we can accommodate any extra risk; so with that in mind, we’ve decided not to pursue the project with Arc at this time. It’s a brilliant, innovative concept, and we wish the Arc team all the very best in their future endeavours,” she added.
Read next:
- Major fire at We The Curious
- Four things you can do to help We The Curious
- Firefighters praised for saving wedding cake in We The Curious fire
- Everything we know about We The Curious Fire
Nick Stubbs, the inventor of The Arc, said he was looking for a different location to create his vision. He said the planning application had shown not only that the project would work, but that it would bring in an estimated £13 million to the visitor economy of the city each year.
“Since we started developing a fabulous plan of how we would work together to display the science behind the city from close above, We The Curious has had the wholly unexpected and very difficult challenge of a fire following hard on the heels of Covid,” Mr Stubbs said.
“We want them to get back to their first-class celebration of the world of science and know this is not the time to distract them. Inventing is never easy but specialists have proved Arc’s physics, demonstrated that we have a sound business and shown that Arc will attract a third of a million visitors to Bristol adding £13 million to the local economy every year.
“We were greatly encouraged that Bristol councillors at the planning committee voted unanimously to support Arc at We The Curious. We will just have to be patient until we find the right location,” he added.
Read more on The Arc's controversial story:
- Feb 2020 - Plans for world's first 'Arc' to send visitors 69m above Bristol skyline
- April 2020 - Planners say London Eye style 'Arc' pod would look 'alien and intrusive' on Bristol's skyline
- April 2021 - Bristol 'Arc' plan set to be turned down by council planners despite £13m tourism boost
- April 2021 - Controversial 79-metre Bristol Arc tourist attraction approved at We The Curious against advice
Sign up for our What's On in Bristol newsletter packed with essential stories to help you make the most of living in the city.
