Traders at Wapping Wharf have spoken out about the extension of the Gaol Ferry Bridge closure by another three months. The first refurbishment in the bridge's 88-year history was extended in February, meaning it will be unlikely to reopen before September.
"Having removed the decking and started the process of stripping off the paint and corrosion, they were on programme. Unfortunately it has become clear that the bridge is in a worse condition than we had thought," Councillor Don Alexander, Cabinet Member for Transport, said last month.
At the time of the announcement, Wapping Wharf's owners, Umberslade, said it was "hugely saddened and disappointed" by the extension. The most recent update from Bristol Mayor Marvin Rees recognised that the news would most of all impact the traders at Wapping Wharf, a food and shopping district comprised of more than 45 independent businesses.
Read more: 'Paper thin' Gaol Ferry Bridge in Bristol much worse than first thought says council
Tess Lidstone owns the modern British restaurant BOX.E with her husband, Elliott, which has a Bib Gourmand. The restaurant has been with the Cargo community since day one. Tess admitted the impact of the bridge was difficult to measure on top of the other struggles that the hospitality industry is facing and many businesses are still in recovery after Covid.
“Produce is rising significantly in cost and that’s reflected in customers too. They have less disposable income and they’re not going out.
“That’s coupled with other things like train strikes, which has had an impact on the business because people can’t get to us that way. When Redcliffe Bridge was closed that was a real killer, because that was at the same time as the Gaol Ferry Bridge.
“From any direction they were coming, there was no option. It definitely means people considered going elsewhere.”
Tess is part of the Wapping Wharf steering committee, helping to open a regular channel of communication with Bristol City Council about the footbridge closure and collaborate on campaigns to publicise alternative routes. The council offered fortnightly Zoom meetings to provide updates to Wapping Wharf businesses on the status of the bridge work, which still exists today in the form of written briefings every two weeks.
The restaurant owner said the businesses found out about the extension at the same time as the rest of the public, through the blog post shared on the Bristol Mayor’s website.
“On a human level, I think it would have been better if the council had approached the businesses first and said that they were going to publicise the work on the bridge continuing for three months and that they appreciated the impact this was going to have on us. It’s a really significant thing. We’re not stupid, we knew the bridge needed a lot of work and nobody is disputing that.”
Tess continued: “We’re a really big community down here I feel like that has been overlooked slightly. Communicating to people honestly, you cannot underestimate the value of that. I feel like people take news much better if they’re treated with honesty and respect and that was lacking a little bit and that was sad to see.”
BristolLive has contacted Bristol City Council for comment. "We will continue to support Wapping Wharf traders, making sure they are promoted along the diversion routes as well as supporting them through promotional campaigns," it said previously.
'It’s our bread-and-butter customers that aren’t getting here'
Gifts and homeware shop Frankly in Cargo 2 didn't have an easy start to its journey at Wapping Wharf, opening a week before the country was put under lockdown in November 2020. The shop spent most of its first six months closed up due to lockdown measures.
“Being a new business, it’s been tough,” said founder Helen Symonds. “We’re okay but we have noticed the difference in the mornings and afternoons without commuters coming past.
“We just had Mother’s Day and we definitely noticed a difference from last year with people being able to just pop across the bridge. Now it’s a big expedition to get round I think a lot of people just go to North Street instead.
“We’re fine at the weekends where there are tourists and we totally recognise not everyone in Bristol lives in Southville, but it’s our bread and butter customers that aren’t getting here.”
Ella Harris, owner of Elevate studio, agreed that the extension of the footbridge closure was beyond anyone's control. “The bridge has got to be fixed and our community has been so supportive and amazing that we’re just continuing to thrive and offer a space where people can move, rest and elevate," she said.
"The whole thing for us, it’s not ideal but the community that surrounds Elevate has been so warm and supportive and it really speaks to the community that we have at the studio.”
Like Frankly, Elevate launched during the pandemic in Cargo 2 back in August 2020 and provides an inclusive, diverse space for yoga, dance, pilates and workshops seven days a week. “We opened during a challenging time so we’re very much up for the ride. That’s all we’ve known.”
Ella continued: “I absolutely love being at Wapping Wharf. For us a studio, it’s so nice being near the water and those natural elements that feed in.
"The bridge closure isn’t ideal but in our own way, we’ve made it work through the support of the community at Elevate that we’ve built up since we opened. It’s amazing to still welcome smiling faces through the door even if they have taken a bit longer to get there.”
New openings defying the disruption
Despite the bridge closure and during a difficult period for hospitality, the community has not been short of new openings since the closure of the footbridge. Tare’s new wine and snack bar, Picole, moved into the former Woky Ko rooftop and has added to the shipping containers’ reputation as a popular food destination.
Herbivore vegan deli has also garnered positive reviews from Bristol’s supportive plant-based community, Knifesharp’s Christmas pop-up is setting up permanently and East Bristol Bakery has seen success with its second site. Woky Ko owner Larkin Cen also opened Daily Noodles in Cargo 1 to offer a simplified menu that revisits the chef’s roots.
The newest arrivals are not quite ready to be announced, Tess from BOX.E added, but there will be more businesses moving in the vacant shipping containers very soon. “We feel like the community is really special and everyone is really supportive of each other both among the businesses and with our customers. Some customers have made such an effort to come to us.”
The message from the Wapping Wharf community remains unchanged: for Bristol to continue doing what it does best and supporting independent businesses wherever they can - bridge or no bridge. “You get something very special by visiting a local business that you don’t tend to get with an online interaction,” Tess said. “Those people with remember who you are.”
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