Regenerative by intent, Western Harbour Park doesn’t just minimise harm, it repairs damaged ecologies, revitalises social connections, and redefines how cities can coexist with nature. The site, long contaminated by heavy metals and hydrocarbons, is detoxified using natural systems: phytoremediation beds, floating wetlands, gravel filters, and planted hedgerows. A ‘soil hospital’ allows site-based remediation of contaminated earth, reducing landfill and off-site emissions. The design achieves net-positive carbon performance within two years. Over a 60-year lifespan, WHP sequesters 2,442 tonnes of CO₂—outpacing embodied and operational emissions. All planting is rain-fed and locally adapted, with zero irrigation and electric maintenance tools.

Circularity is embedded: roads and buildings are dismantled selectively, with tarmac, concrete, and aggregates reused on-site to form habitats, topography, and dry-stone walls. Nothing leaves the site unless it is essential. Old infrastructure becomes the substrate of new life—textured, biodiverse, and symbolically rich.
The site-specific design draws on the Avon’s tidal ecology, Bristol’s post-industrial identity, and the site’s deep social and environmental scars. Floating wetlands improve water quality in the docks; tidal pools enhance the intertidal edge; saltmarsh and scrub habitats support rare fish, birds, and invertebrates.
Social regeneration is central. A disused bonded warehouse is reborn as a solar-powered education centre, offering workshops on biodiversity, soil, climate, and energy. A revived rail line offers low-carbon access and a narrative of transition—from fossil fuel to future resilience. WHP is more than a park: it’s a regenerative urban system, designed to give more than it takes—for nature, for people, and for the future.