'Bearpit' subway in Bristol to receive £1m revamp

The "Bearpit" pedestrian subway linking Stokes Croft and Broadmead was built in the 1960s

A pedestrian subway in Bristol blighted by crime and anti-social behaviour is to benefit from a £1m council revamp.

Bristol City Council has pledged to improve the "Bearpit" at St James Barton Roundabout, which links Stokes Croft and Broadmead in the city centre.

It follows a campaign by the The Bearpit Improvement Group, which wants to fill in subway tunnels and raise road crossings to street level.

The council's Tim Kent hopes it becomes an area people go to rather than avoid.

The executive member for transport said: "We want to keep all the good bits about the Bearpit but get rid of the negative bits. We'll open it up and make it easier to access and make it a lot better for pedestrians."

Other plans include turning the space into a closed-off area and building an amphitheatre, which could be used for events and leisure facilities.