No plans for Bristol harbour floating homes say council

Float8 has a showhome in London's Canary Wharf

A Bristol property developer has criticised the council for blocking a plan for floating homes in the harbour.

Kev Draper, managing director of Float8, claimed senior figures at Bristol City Council had previously expressed support for his plans.

Floating homes are already popular in other parts of the world, including the Netherlands, America and Canada.

Bristol City Council said: "There are no plans to introduce floating houses on the harbour."

Earlier this month, the council gave planning permission for a new pontoon opposite the SS Great Britain, with space for 34 boats.

Residents living at Capricorn Quay had opposed the plans due to the potential noise and pollution coming from boats moored at the pontoon.

What the floating homes could look like in Bristol harbour

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service planning permission for development was granted because the harbour is losing hundreds of thousands of pounds each year.

Mr Draper said his plans would produce a huge amount of revenue for the council: "What we want more than anything is just to have a conversation. The harbour should never be a loss-making thing for the council. Let's just test the waters."

Float8 has suggested building 22 floating homes in the harbour.

These would be built off-site, and would be more spacious and insulated than regular houseboats. Other suggestions include small floating offices for start-ups near the Valentine Bridge behind Temple Meads train station.

Mr Draper said he first met with the harbour master six years ago, and has also spoken with several senior figures at the council but has not been given a clear reason why his proposals were not taken forward.

A model of a two-storey floating home

A spokesperson for Bristol City Council council said: "We are in the process of introducing a number of improvements to the harbour area as part of the harbour review and investing heavily in harbour infrastructure.

"Meanwhile, back on dry land, Bristol built 2,563 new homes in 2021-22, exceeding the mayor's ambitious target, including more new affordable homes than for any year in the last 12."

The council added that should any future plans emerge to introduce floating homes on the harbour, all interested parties would be welcome to bid for a contract by an open and transparent tender process.