BID Updates

Bristol City Centre BID launches new term business plan outlining promises for the next five years

Bristol City Centre BID has revealed an ambitious business plan for its second five-year term, outlining key focuses and future activity that will support the city centre.

22/07/2022

BID Lead
Vicky Lee
Email Vicky Lee

Bristol City Centre Business Improvement District (BID) has revealed an ambitious business plan for its second five-year term, outlining key focuses and future activity that will support the city centre and its levy paying businesses across 2022-2027.

Presenting the vision of a better Bristol for all, Bristol City Centre BID’s business plan details how the team will deliver campaigns, initiatives, partnerships and events that help attract business, inward investment and people to the city, and make it a more welcoming and safe place for everyone who lives, works, studies and visits.

The new term business plan has been written as part of Bristol City Centre BID’s journey towards renewal this September, when levy paying businesses will be asked to vote for the future of the BID. Available to review online, businesses are invited to consider the BID’s plan ahead of September’s ballot to understand how it will support levy payers and the city across the next five years.

Since being introduced in 2017, Bristol City Centre BID has become known for innovative and strategic projects with a total of £5million from the BID levy alongside additional grants and funding to the value of £500,000 also being invested back into the city.

This investment has enabled the delivery of key initiatives including a seven-days-a-week cleansing team to remove graffiti and deep clean businesses property and frontages, several safety and crime reduction initiatives and the set up and co-ordination of Bristol’s first Business Crime Reduction Partnership (BCRP). The creation and delivery of innovative events and campaigns to attract visitors to the city centre have included Bristol Light Festival, Hearts in Parks, Christmas Adventures and the annual festive lights.

In the new business plan, Bristol City Centre BID promises to build on successes of the last five years as well as identifying new ways to deliver a better Bristol, under four strategic themes; enhancing, protecting, promoting and supporting.

Enhancing

Enhancing by delivering projects that attract investment and talent, create a greener, cleaner and more attractive city centre, and bring visitors, employees and residents back into the heart of the city. This will include:

  • Annual Bristol Light Festival to drive footfall at an otherwise quieter time of the year to deliver economic impact for city centre businesses
  • Events and activities that attract new audiences and create reasons to spend leisure time in the city
  • Help equip businesses to reduce environmental impact on their journey to Net Zero
  • Fund and deliver Light Up Christmas with festive lighting and events to support retail and hospitality
  • Continued seven-day-a-week street cleansing service

Protecting

Protecting by investing to reduce, challenge and raise awareness of crime and anti-social behaviour to protect city centre businesses, visitors and residents both day and night. This will include:

  • Further development of BCRP to bring together the police, businesses and city council in addressing crime
  • Improve connectivity to deliver collective and connected responses for businesses
  • Continue a dedicated Streetwise Support Officer and TAP for Bristol
  • Support night-time economy by representing their voice to influence citywide strategy
  • Challenge negative perceptions and raise awareness of continual efforts to increase safety in the city centre

Promoting

Promoting with a collaborative approach to delivering innovative campaigns, events, activations and communications to promote Bristol. Celebrating everything that makes Bristol a special place to work, study and live. This will include:

  • Engage and attract consumers to support footfall and sales in levy paying businesses
  • Highlight benefits of working in the city to attract and retain staff for levy paying businesses
  • Promote achievements of levy payers to the wider business community and consumers
  • Add value to each business sector by supplementing promotional activity and showcasing Bristol businesses

Supporting

Supporting by acting as a single point of contact to represent levy payers, leverage investment, influence strategy and support the business community. This will include:

  • Represent levy payers’ voice by targeting and engaging key groups that will best benefit and provide representation at strategic planning meetings
  • Cost saving procurement to deliver services and systems at reduced costs
  • Sponsorship fund to invest or sponsor opportunities that would make a difference to businesses and the city centre
  • Leverage investment through partnership working and seeking opportunities through grants, sponsorship and central government funding
Read the Business Plan

Vicky Lee, Head of Bristol City Centre BID said;

Over the last five years, we have introduced and delivered projects that address business needs and increase footfall and visitors to the city centre, supporting businesses through some very challenging times, and we want to do even more in our second term. “We have a fantastic opportunity over the next five years to build on our successes and further support city centre businesses on the road to recovery and beyond, by connecting and representing the business community, delivering projects and partnerships that help improve safety, and by shining a light on our city for tourism, education, and investment. “Our vision is a better Bristol for all, a city where businesses can thrive, people want to live, work and visit, a city that is safe for all to enjoy whatever time of day or night, and a place that is welcoming and appealing to everyone. This is what our business plan promises to deliver and what a second term of Bristol City Centre BID will mean for the city centre and it’s businesses.
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