Plans to replace Bristol's Cargo shipping containers with landmark building

The Cargo shipping container development in Bristol’s Wapping Wharf is to be removed as part of a redevelopment of the area.

Plans have been revealed to replace the site with a 12-storey building with cascading green outdoor terraces.

The new harbourside building will offer a permanent home for the independent restaurants, cafes and takeaway outlets currently located in shipping containers at Cargo, which the developer said was only intended to be a temporary site when it launched in 2016.

Restaurants situated in Cargo include chef Larkin Cen’s Woky Ko noodle bar, Josh Eggleton's Root, and fine dining restaurant Tare, which is recommended in the Michelin Guide Great Britain and Ireland 2022.

The former derelict shipyard at Wapping Wharf has been undergoing regeneration by property developer Umberslade, headed by father and daughter duo Stuart and Esme Hatton, since 2007.

The proposed new development will see food stores located on the ground floor in a double-height permanent covered market called Cargo Market Hall. Takeaway outlets and casual dining restaurants with outdoor seating will sit around the edges of the building, while the floors above will house restaurants with views across the harbour.

The mixed-use development will include 240 homes and a range of flexible workspaces, alongside landscaped streets and spaces which will occupy 30% of the site.

Stuart Hatton, managing director of Umberslade, said: “When we set up Cargo, it was really a temporary innovation and a way of bringing some life to the place as we knew it would take a long time to develop out the whole site. Whilst quirky and distinctive, in reality the shipping containers can be challenging for a business to operate in.

“But Cargo has become such a success that we need to provide a permanent and better home for our businesses that they tailor as they want and enable us to provide a greater range of shops and facilities for our community.”

Matt Hampshire, head chef at Tare restaurant, said: "The plans look incredible. Stuart and Esme have done great things here, they have created a real community, and this is a continuation of that, so we are super excited. It's such a fantastic vision of the future for both Wapping Wharf and Bristol, it's an honour to be a part of it."