Purpose

The Bristol Infrastructure Programme has been
set up to address risks to transport safety, including roads and
bridges, across the city. These must be addressed but the costs far
exceed the council’s ability to fund. Therefore, a
cross-council strategy must be developed to secure funding from the
Mayoral Combined Authority (MCA) in the first instance and, almost
certainly, central government. On 12 August 2025 Corporate
Leadership Board (CLB) approved a mandate authorising our Strategic
Partner, Arcadis, to develop a Strategic Outline Business Case
(SOBC) to scope the Council’s options for this work. The plan
submitted by our partner, scoping this work, informs the decision
taken to spend the recommended £155,000 funding to commission
them to produce the SOBC.
The SOBC plan includes the following:
•Produce a (Programme-level) Strategic Outline Business Case,
aligning standalone capital requests into a cohesive investment
package, with compelling narrative and high-level phased delivery
plan.
•Support a shift in asset management approach to proactive
investment rather than reactive works, thereby avoiding costs of
disruption due to asset failures. Promote a proactive and adaptive
approach to climate change, to ensure resilience in the face of
increased severity and frequency of extreme weather events. Draw
focus to Health and Safety risks associated with asset
deterioration or failures, the importance of proactively addressing
these risks and the implications of a ‘do nothing’
approach being taken.
•Develop a compelling strategic case and economic narrative
for programme investment, based not just on replacing and
maintaining assets but in terms of: enhancing Bristol and the West
of England’s economic resilience; supporting economic
regeneration and maximising opportunities to deliver co-benefits
(e.g. enhanced recreation, amenity, nature, etc). Incorporate into
the narrative the significance of Bristol’s vision since
establishing the floating harbour 200 years ago, and the economic
consequences that its decline may have on the local economy.
•Provide tangible routes to securing the funding required to
support the programme

Content

Approval to commission the Strategic Partner
to develop a Strategic Outline Business Case for the Bristol
Infrastructure Programme mandate and appointment of a light-touch
client-side council project manager (proposed to be funded from
Capital Feasibility Fund).

Alternative options considered

Option 1 - (the approved option): Conduct
internal review of BCC pressures and work with consultancy to
develop Strategic Outline Case for Bristol. Once Bristol City
Council (BCC) has good understanding, then work with MCA or others
to consider next steps/wider regional approach.
Option 2 - First approach the MCA to lay out the scale of the
issue, discuss what resources available regionally to address these
pressures first, and then secure support to approach central
government. Work together to develop a shared approach/strategy.
Potentially joint commission/fund approach.
Option 3 - Do nothing: Continue reactive maintenance – this
involves high revenue costs and risks escalating failures and
higher lifetime costs.