#Bristol's £30-50 Million Liveable Neighbourhoods? The Cost Nobody Will Admit.
Here's the beautiful part about Bristol's Liveable Neighbourhoods: nobody will tell you what they actually cost.
£30-50 million? Pure guesstimate. A number floating around based on East Bristol’s £6 million trial and assumptions about South Bristol being bigger.
The West of England Combined Authority allocated £10 million for two schemes. East Bristol consumed £6 million. Simple maths suggests £4 million for South Bristol, right?
Wrong.
Millions for bollards. Nothing for buses. South Bristol’s getting East Bristol’s failed experiment—bigger, costlier, and nobody will say how much. Your money. Their vision. Zero accountability. #Bristol
Factor in developer contributions, Community Infrastructure Levy funds, and “unallocated transport improvements”—budget lines shuffled like a three-card trick—and the true cost vanishes into bureaucratic fog.
If residents knew the real price, they’d ask: “Why spend this to make my life worse?”
What We Actually Know: East Bristol’s £6 Million “Trial.”
East Bristol Liveable Neighbourhood in Barton Hill, Redfield, and St George cost £6 million for a “trial.” Temporary bollards. Temporary bus gates. Permanent chaos.
That bought:
3 am installation with police escorts (March 2024)
Bus gate cameras and enforcement infrastructure
Thousands of petition signatures opposing it
Businesses fearing closure as customers can’t park
Residents reporting “sooty noses and noisy lungs” from diverted traffic
Council declaring success anyway
South Bristol spans Southville, Bedminster, Ashton Vale, Totterdown, Windmill Hill, and Malago Vale—significantly larger than East Bristol. If the smaller scheme cost £6 million for temporary measures, what’s the full South Bristol implementation?
£10 million? £30 million? £50 million over multiple phases?
Bristol City Council won’t say.
The Real Costs Nobody Counts.
Forget construction budgets. Council reports never include:
Lost Business Revenue - parking restrictions strangle Independent shops on Cannon Street and East Street. Customers are shopping elsewhere. Empty high streets. Economic impact? Uncalculated.
Extended Commutes - Thousands of hours wasted in diverted traffic through residential streets. Fuel costs. Vehicle wear. Mental health impact of grinding through BS5 side streets, avoiding bollards.
Emergency Service Delays - Extra minutes navigating Totterdown’s new one-way systems. Cost measured in lives? Nobody’s counting.
Annual Enforcement Costs - Bus gates need cameras. Monitoring. PCN processing. Appeals handling. Ongoing costs, forever. You’re paying.
Consultation Theatre - Eight weeks of South Bristol consultation (closed 30 October 2025). Printed materials across BS3. Staff salaries for “co-design.” Ask Bristol platform development. Community meetings across Bedminster and Southville.
Cost of ignoring results? Priceless.
What £50 Million Could Actually Buy Bristol.
Since nobody knows the real cost, let’s price alternatives:
If It’s £10 Million:
200 social housing units
10 years of enhanced bus services to Lawrence Weston
Every cut youth centre in Bristol funded for a decade
If It’s £30 Million:
New secondary school in an underserved area
Comprehensive mental health services citywide
Free swimming for under-16s at all Bristol pools for 20 years
If It’s £50 Million:
Approaching the £60 million Bristol Energy debacle
50 new GP practices addressing recruitment crises
Complete bus network overhaul, making public transport viable
At least Bristol Energy tried delivering what residents wanted. Liveable Neighbourhoods cost millions, delivering what residents actively oppose.
Questions Bristol City Council Won’t Answer.
Ask your councillor:
What’s the total South Bristol Liveable Neighbourhood budget?
How much has East Bristol actually cost, including enforcement?
What are the projected annual running costs?
Where’s the economic impact assessment on BS3 businesses?
If it fails, who pays for removal?
Why no published, itemised budget breakdown?
Watch them squirm.
The Vanishing Money Trick.
The strategy:
Announce WECA funding (sounds external, who cares?)
Add developer contributions (they’re building anyway)
Sprinkle “unallocated transport improvements” (meaningless)
Never publish complete, itemised budgets
When pressed, invoke “phases,” “trials,” “ongoing investment”
By the time anyone totals it up, bollards are permanent
When businesses close, traffic worsens, and someone finally asks, “What did this cost?” The answer: “It’s complicated.”
No. You spent money. Tell us how much.
The Point of Vagueness
Bristol City Council doesn’t want budget questions. They want you debating bollard colours, not whether bollards should exist.
They want arguments about modal filters, parking permits, one-way systems in Totterdown—not questions about why millions fund traffic schemes whilst buses don’t run, schools need repairs, and GP practices can’t recruit staff who can’t commute.
The vagueness is intentional.
If you knew the true cost, you’d realise this isn’t about liveable neighbourhoods. It’s about spending money to look busy, regardless of effectiveness.
Best part? When it fails, they’ll request more money to fix it.
Demand transparency. Demand detailed budgets. Demand cost-benefit analyses that include ALL costs, not just construction.
Bristol’s Green administration is running a tab on your credit card without showing the bill.
Every mysterious penny matters.
Can you submit the question about the cost of the LNs for the full council meeting on 4th November, John? Deadline Wednesday midday!
No, I won't be going. I don't think my bowels will somehow stand the strain. I'll leave it as it is for now while I'm cornering them.