'Gritty' new Bristol road name inspired by cigarette brand

The "grittier" new name of a road on the site of a former tobacco factory has been welcomed by a councillor.

A 70-home development is currently being built next to the Hengrove roundabout in south Bristol, where an Imperial Tobacco building once stood.

The idea to name a road at the site after a nearby woodland was initially dismissed as "ridiculous" by councillor Richard Eddy (Con).

It will instead be named Navy Cut Road, after a cigarette brand.

Imperial Group moved its factory to the site from Bedminster back in 1974, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

It remained there until its closure in 1990, and the building was demolished six years later to make way for Imperial park retail centre and hundreds of flats and houses.

Developer Curo housing association is currently building affordable homes on the site's last vacant plot.

Mr Eddy did not like the proposed name of "Crox View" because Crox Bottom woodland will be blocked from view for residents by the retail centre.

He said the name failed to reflect the area's industrial past and challenged Curo to come up with a "grittier" title reflecting Bristol's heritage.

The Bishopsworth councillor said: "I'm delighted that both Curo Homes and Bristol City Council's street-naming team listened positively to my views and are now proposing a far more appropriate street name."

Council officers also came up with three other suggestions, all based on Imperial's old cigarette brands - Strand Road, Passing Clouds Road and Gold Flake Road - but both Mr Eddy and the housing association accepted the name of Navy Cut Road.

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