Fountains to be filled in as part of renovation

The change will allow more space for the harbour market, events and pedestrians

Fountains, which form the centrepiece of a city centre, are to be filled in with concrete after they were deemed "broken and beyond repair".

The £400,000 renovation project is being funded by Bristol City Council as part of a scheme to improve the area for pedestrians and market traders.

The section between the existing Neptune statue and the Cascade Steps will be levelled out.

As part of the scheme, five mature London plane trees, which the authority say are unstable and unsafe, will also be removed and replaced by more suitable trees.

The fountains have been out of regular use for several years

Speaking to the BBC about the plans, councillor Andrew Brown, Liberal Democrat chair of the economy committee, said people had come to "expect the fountains not to work".

"We're taking the opportunity to reinvent and reinvigorate this area, give it a spruce-up and make it more attractive," he said.

“While the fountains were a good idea in principle, they reduce the available space and have not worked properly for many years because of limited water storage capacity underground."

The area was historically part of the Bristol City Docks, and is also where the river Frome flows out into the harbour from underneath the streets.

Bristol City Council said "it was a matter of time" before the London plane trees next to the fountains caused serious damage

Meanwhile, five mature London plane trees, which were planted nearby in 2000, have outgrown their planters and are splitting at the seams.

"The roots of the trees are pushing the limestone cladding off the planters as they have outgrown the contained space," Mr Brown continued.

"They will only grow larger and could become unstable, which would be dangerous for people in the area if we do nothing."

The work is set to be carried out in the autumn and winter to take advantage of the winter tree planting season. It is expected to take up to three months to complete.