A slip of land running alongside Bordeaux Quay could be transformed by a new tourist district that will include a floating luxury boutique hotel, an open-air market, retail offerings and a giant ‘Bristol Eye’ wheel based on the London Eye.

Bristol City Council owns the property known as Waterfront Square, which has been used intermittently for music and food events but is viewed as a gap within Bristol’s urban fabric and the visitor experience.

Manor Property Group development director Mark Bailey told Bisnow that Bristol was like a jigsaw puzzle with a missing piece – an active, vibrant waterfront that would attract tourists and residents. Bailey said Bristol City Council’s brief for the project called for a ‘statement building,’ which Manor Property Group is delivering with a floating concept.

CODA Architects founder Ronnie Rennoldson, whose work includes many of Bristol’s hospital buildings and the Blaise Castle Café building, is especially pleased with the design for the hotel which appears to be floating in mid-air. “The ground floor would have a small reception area for the hotel widening out to a glass open space. In effect the hotel is on stilts floating above the public area. We’ve designed a ‘roofed over’ public space, which itself creates an atmospheric route to the existing Lloyds amphitheater, as well as an all-weather protection for outdoor markets and events,” he told us.

The £24M project has been in the works for about 18 months, and Bailey has assembled a local team to bring it to fruition. He is looking at local restaurateurs to run the floating restaurant and discussions have started with Hotel Indigo, an InterContinental Group Hotel brand, to potentially launch a new hotel with management by Interstate.

The redevelopment of Waterfront Square would provide a new focus in the heart of Bristol, bringing jobs and investment and extending the city’s leisure use.