The Tory candidate to become Bristol's next elected mayor has slammed the design plans for a major new library in Clifton and called for more "stylish" buildings in the city.
Former Lord Mayor Alastair Watson said the University of Bristol's new library would not be "a lasting building of any beauty" and told local architects to look to Europe for ideas for "good, modern, stylish" buildings.
Mr Watson made his assessment of the library, whose plans were approved last month, during an online hustings for architects, town planners and other “built environment” professionals on Thursday, April 8.
The debate saw mayoral hopefuls from the four main political parties answer questions about city design and the climate challenge.
Asked whether new buildings should be adaptable enough to meet future needs, Mr Watson said Bristol needed “good, quality buildings” that will last and can be retrofitted in the future.
“If we build cheap or ones that aren’t stylish they will get knocked down,” he said. “We see that in our city.
“I’ve seen the pictures of what the new library at the university is going to look like in a rather nice heritage area of the city, and I don’t think two square cubes on top of each other just slightly shifted is, what for me, is going to be a lasting building of any beauty in the city.
“I want to see better buildings and more style - things that we see in some of the cities when we go to Barcelona or Bordeaux or Hanover or wherever it is that we’re visiting - good, modern, stylish buildings.
“We don’t do that so well in this country.”
Asked the same question, both Marvin Rees (Labour) and Sandy Hore-Ruthven (Greens) said new buildings should be adaptable, but good planning required the Government to fund local authorities properly.
Caroline Gooch (Liberal Democrats) said it would be “great” if new buildings were flexible enough to be easily converted into shops, offices or homes, and had green spaces around them and 'green walls' and 'green roofs'.
There are nine candidates vying to become Bristol's next elected mayor but only four participated in the hustings organised by the Chartered Institution of Building, Institution of Civil Engineers, Royal Institute of British Architects, the Royal Town Planning Institute, and Constructing Excellence South West.
Mr Watson used to be a councillor for Westbury-on-Trym and was Lord Mayor in 2014/15.
A businessman, he has lived and worked in Bristol for the past 30 years.
He is a long-term supporter of the business community, "passionate" about improving the life chances of young people from disadvantaged backgrounds, and a "keen environmentalist", according to the Conservative Party.
Mr Watson has promised to "bring back competency and decisiveness to the running of the city" and to "work to get Bristol’s economy fully functional again".
“As well as guiding Bristol back to post-Covid normality, my focus will be on improving transport links in and around the city, increasing the number of affordable homes and achieving ambitious environment improvements," he said in a press release.
“My vision for Bristol is to have a vibrant economy, better quality of life and great opportunities for all citizens.”
Mayoral elections will take place on May 6 alongside the election of 70 councillors to Bristol City Council.
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