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Free access or discounts for locals near new cycling centre
Free access or heavy discounts are on the table for local people at the new Bristol Regional Cycling Hub.
Bristol City Council is planning to spend £15.6m building the new cycling centre in Lawrence Weston but has faced opposition from local residents over entry costs.
While it’s unclear how much the centre would cost to enter, back in April several opponents criticised making locals pay, when the site received planning permission.
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The cycling centre will be built on Henacre Open Space, which is currently free to access and a popular walking spot.
The next steps in the project were approved by councillors on the transport policy committee on Thursday.
This included exploring whether discounts or free access could be given to residents living nearby, although the details of this still need to be worked out.
The £15m development in Lawrence Weston will include a closed-loop cycling track, a 250-metre training track and a car park – image: Bristol City Council
Labour councillor Tom Renhard said: “These sorts of projects can quickly build up resistance if people feel like they’re not being taken on the journey.
“Particularly in Lawrence Weston, they’ve had a lot of development in that area, and they want to make sure they’re seeing some of the benefits out of the developments.
“We want to propose – and this is coming as an ask from Ambition Lawrence Weston – is that there is a proposal brought back to this committee for free access for local residents in the area, free or significantly discounted.”
However it’s unclear how “local” would be defined and how the wide area for free or discounted access would cover.
Discounts could be given to people coming from poorer parts of Bristol, including in the south of the city too, near to where the existing cycling centre is located.
Ten miles away, the cycling centre in south Bristol is set to be redeveloped – photo: Chris Vaughan
The Regional Cycling Hub will feature state-of-the art facilities for people to learn how to ride a bike, as well as a racing track for cycling competitions.
It will replace the Bristol Family Cycling Centre in Hengrove, which is earmarked for housing, but will be a massive step up in facilities.
Construction is due to begin in March 2027 and finish in September 2028.
Adam Crowther, head of city transport, said: “This is about enabling people to learn to ride and getting people to ride in the first place.
“If you can get people cycling early in life, and even later in life, that’s half the challenge.
“Putting a good cycle route in is one thing – if people aren’t confident cycling they still won’t use it.”
Main image: Bristol City Council
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