Film crew hire/Bristol/Logistics
Shoot logistics in Bristol. The Clean Air Zones, bays, unit bases, vans, trains and the airport.
Bristol’s Clean Air Zone is Class D, so an older crew car pays as well as an older van; Bath’s lets private cars in free. A suspended bay takes three working days, the Film Office’s unit bases start at £600 a day, and Temple Meads is 1 hour 19 minutes from Paddington. Here’s how each of those works, with the airport and where crews stay. Charges checked October 2026.
Clean Air Zone · older car or van
£9 a day
Parking suspension · one day
£22 a vehicle
Film Office unit base · per day
from £600
Paddington to Temple Meads
1 hr 19 min
On this page
01 Road charges
The Clean Air Zones: Bristol charges cars, Bath doesn’t
Two zones, both round the clock, and they don’t charge the same vehicles. From each council’s pages and GOV.UK, checked October 2026.
| Bristol | Bath | |
|---|---|---|
| Class | D: cars, vans, taxis, HGVs, buses and coaches | C: vans, minibuses, taxis, private hire, HGVs, buses and coaches |
| Area | 1.18 square miles, in the centre of the city | 1.2 square miles |
| An older car | £9 a day | Not charged, even for work, and nor are motorbikes. A pick-up or four-by-four registered as a van (N1) pays as a van |
| An older van | £9 a day | £9 a day |
| An older HGV, bus or coach | £100 a day | £100 a day |
| When | Around the clock, every day; a charging day runs midnight to midnight | Midnight to midnight, every day |
| Since | 28 November 2022 | 15 March 2021 |
What doesn’t pay
Petrol to Euro 4 (roughly 2006 on), diesel to Euro 6 (roughly late 2015 on), anything fully electric or hydrogen, vehicles retrofitted under CVRAS, and motorbikes. GOV.UK’s checker takes the registration and gives the answer.
Paying in Bristol
On GOV.UK, up to six days before, on the day, or up to six days after. One payment covers every trip in and out that day, and a vehicle parked inside the zone that doesn’t move isn’t charged. Advance payments aren’t refunded, and a business can open a GOV.UK account for all its vehicles.
Missing it
A £120 penalty plus the charge, or £60 plus the charge within 14 days. A Charge Certificate adds 50%.
National exemptions
Military and historic vehicles, ultra low emission ones, disabled tax class vehicles and some agricultural ones drive into every zone free, so a period picture car with historic status pays nothing.
On a quote
We check every vehicle’s registration against both zones before it’s booked: the vans, the crew’s cars and the DIT’s. If an older van is the only one that will do, its £9 goes on the quote as its own line for each day it drives into Bristol’s zone, and a day that runs past midnight counts twice. In Bath an older crew car pays nothing, but an older van still does.
Exemptions
We don’t plan on a local exemption for filming in either city. A production pays like anyone else unless the vehicle meets the standard or has a national exemption.
02 Parking
Parking bays: suspended and coned by the council
A parking suspension in Bristol needs three working days: one day in a pay and display bay is £22 + VAT per vehicle, and several days £15 + VAT per bay per day plus a £30 coning fee (checked October 2026). Bay suspensions go to Bristol City Council’s Parking Services on its film crew form, which Bristol Film Office links to.
| What | Cost, plus VAT | How it works |
|---|---|---|
| One day in a pay and display bay | £22 a vehicle | The council puts the cones out and collects them each day |
| Several days in the same bays | £15 a bay a day, plus a £30 coning fee once | One coning fee for the whole run |
| Limited waiting and residents’ bays | £30 a bay | Through the same form |
| A multiple-locations permit | £15 a vehicle a day | No cones, no guaranteed space, no refunds |
| An unrestricted street | £30 a street a day | Not enforceable: if the space has to be there, it’s a road closure |
| Yellow lines | £30 a street for coning | At least three working days’ notice |
How it works on the day
No confirmation
There’s no approval email: the council only gets in touch if it needs more information. So we put the application in early and check the bays the day before.
A purchase order first
The suspension isn’t approved until there’s a purchase order for the full cost, and it’s invoiced monthly after the shoot.
Engines off
Vehicles park where it was agreed and switch off on arrival, and generators are baffled or built into the vehicles (Code of Practice).
Late wraps
After a night shoot in a residential street, noisy kit that can’t be moved quietly stays where it is, under security, until 07:00.
In Bath
Bath Film Office prices crew parking on application, and wants to hear about any yellow lines, pay bays or residents’ bays the shoot needs.
Holding the bays
On a street day a runner holds the suspended bays from first thing and sends anything that isn’t a working vehicle on to a car park, so the trucks have somewhere to go when they arrive.
03 Off the street
Unit bases and parking off the street
Bristol Film Office books four unit bases of its own, and Bath Film Office two. Every price here is per day, plus VAT, checked October 2026.
| Unit base | Per day, plus VAT |
|---|---|
| The Amphitheatre and/or Waterfront Square, Bristol | £600 to £820 |
| Church Lodge car park, Ashton Court | £600, or £710 to have it to yourself |
| Long Ashton Park and Ride | £600 to £820 |
| Redcliffe Wharf, Bristol | £600 |
| Lansdown Playing Fields North, Bath: the car park | £555 |
| Lansdown Playing Fields North, Bath: car park and field | £802 |
| Odd Down Park and Ride, Bath | On application |
Studio and venue days
The Bottle Yard
210 secure spaces at TBY1 in Whitchurch, also used for exterior builds and as a unit base, and 160 at TBY2 on Hawkfield Way, with unit base parking of its own. The two sites are under half a mile apart.
Bristol Dockyards
About 150 spaces on site at the SS Great Britain, with power and running water (filming page).
Temple Meads
374 spaces in the station’s car parks, by National Rail’s count, and a taxi rank on Station Approach.
Ask the building
From an office on the Harbourside to a hall at the university, we ask about loading and any height limit before the van is booked.
Who books it
A bigger unit needs someone to book the base, the bays and the traffic management. That’s the production manager’s job, and you can book one with the crew from the Bristol crew page.
04 Vehicles
Vans, drivers and the roads in
Crew vans come with the crew or from a supplier, and every one is checked against both Clean Air Zones before it’s booked. Supplier details from their own pages, checked October 2026.
Bristol · lighting, with the van
Bristol Production Van
Day hire of a long-wheelbase high-roof van with LED and tungsten heads, grip, a 1500Wh power station and a gear tech or gaffer/spark, for £825 ex VAT, delivered within 20 miles of the centre (its day hire page). More in the kit guide.
The Bottle Yard · vehicles and drivers
Southwest Chauffeur Auto & Driver Services
A Bottle Yard tenant supplying vehicles, drivers and related staff to TV and film.
The Bottle Yard · grip and tracking
Grip Services
Grip for TV and film, and tracking vehicles: low loaders, A-frames, mules, quads and rickshaws.
Gaffers and grips
The crew’s own vans
Gaffers and grips often bring their own kit van, which saves a hire and a driver. We ask each one for the van’s Euro standard before it’s booked.
From outside Bristol
Crew driving in
Local crew first. When a shoot needs more hands, or a role Bristol is short of that week, we bring them in from across the South West, Cardiff or London, and the travel is on the quote before anything is booked. Mileage goes on the same line.
The roads in
From The Bottle Yard
On the southern edge of the city, with access to the M4 corridor, it puts itself 15 minutes from the airport, 20 from the city centre and Temple Meads, and two hours from London.
Over the bridge
Clifton Suspension Bridge charges motor vehicles £1 by contactless at the barrier, with a rise to £1.50 proposed from January 2027. If the van crosses, it’s on the quote at cost.
Bristol and Bath in one day
The zones charge separately, so an older van that drives into both pays each one.
Who drives
On a small job the driver is often the production assistant or one of our own team: for Swanson Studios in 2023, one of us drove the team’s eight-seat van between Portsmouth, London and Oxford, with a kit van alongside. Travel and mileage go on the quote at cost, each on its own line.
05 By train
Trains into Bristol, and kit on board
Temple Meads is 1 hour 19 minutes from London Paddington on the fastest trains, 11 minutes from Bath Spa, 48 minutes from Cardiff Central and about 1 hour 25 from Birmingham (checked October 2026, on GWR’s and CrossCountry’s own pages). Temple Meads is the main station, and Bath Spa is the one for a Bath shoot.
| From | To | Fastest | Trains |
|---|---|---|---|
| London Paddington | Bristol Temple Meads | 1 hr 19 min; typically about 1 hr 40 | About every 30 minutes |
| London Paddington | Bath Spa | 1 hr 19 min; typically about 1 hr 20 | About 72 on an average weekday |
| Bristol Temple Meads | Bath Spa | 11 min | About four an hour |
| Bristol Temple Meads | Cardiff Central | 48 min; typically about 50 | Two direct an hour |
| Bristol Temple Meads | Birmingham | About 1 hr 25 | 14 a day with CrossCountry |
| Bristol Temple Meads | Exeter St Davids | Under an hour | CrossCountry |
| Bristol Temple Meads | Plymouth | Just over 2 hours on average | 15 a day with CrossCountry |
Kit on the train
On GWR
Up to three pieces each, and nothing you can’t carry or move easily: no more than two large items, 23kg at most each, and one small one. Suitcase-size bags, up to 25 x 40 x 75cm, go in the racks at the end of each carriage, and staff can’t help lift them.
On CrossCountry
One item each, up to 90 x 70 x 30cm, and no trolleys, wheelie bins or four-wheeled trucks. A camera cart goes by road.
At Temple Meads
Step-free to every platform, with lifts, a taxi rank on Station Approach and 374 parking spaces.
At Bath Spa
Step-free to every platform, 78 parking spaces, and the taxi rank across a controlled crossing.
What goes by train
A camera operator with a bag of batteries, cards and drives, or a director and a producer, yes. Lighting, stands, track and carts come in a van.
Travelling isn’t filming
Filming at Temple Meads needs Network Rail’s permission, and at Bath Spa and Bristol Parkway GWR’s: it’s in the locations guide.
06 Flying in
Bristol Airport, and flying in
From the airport’s own pages, checked October 2026.
Into the city
The A1 Flyer runs from Bristol Bus Station and Temple Meads, from 45 minutes, up to six an hour, at £15 return (a fare the airport’s page dates to November 2023).
Around the UK
Edinburgh, Glasgow and Belfast fly daily, all year round, with easyJet.
From Europe
Amsterdam, with easyJet and KLM, and Paris, with easyJet to Charles de Gaulle, both daily, all year round.
The size of it
England’s third largest regional airport, by its own description, with planning permission for up to 12 million passengers a year.
To the studios
The Bottle Yard puts the airport 15 minutes away by road.
Filming there
Location charges, aviation and South West stories first, and no student films: it’s in the locations guide.
From abroad
Kit flying in comes on an ATA Carnet: here’s how bringing film equipment into the UK works. And here’s how overseas teams book a Bristol crew, or a UK production service company if you need one. Flying a drone near the airport? Start with its restriction zone.
07 Hotels
Where crews stay: by Temple Meads, near the studio, or in Bath
City-centre days
Stay within walking distance of Temple Meads, so anyone arriving by train walks straight in, and send the van to a unit base or a car park.
Studio days
For a run at The Bottle Yard, on the southern edge of the city, stay where the drive to Whitchurch is short, and check the hotel has parking for the van.
Bath
Bath Film Office’s crew accommodation list includes Hotel Indigo, The Francis, the Abbey Hotel, Bailbrook House and the Royal Crescent Hotel.
A shoot that moves
For Swanson Studios’ three cities in three days, we booked our crew’s hotels in every city before the first day.
On the quote
Hotels we book go on with everything else, under the same 10% booking fee and 2% insurance. The national picture, from the APA travel terms to drivers’ hours, is in our UK guide to travel, hotels and vans.
Want the Bristol logistics sorted?
Send the dates, the locations and who’s travelling. We’ll check the vans and cars against both Clean Air Zones and book the bays, the unit base, hotels and food with the crew, each on its own line. Or call us on 07412 543822.
Quick contact form
08 Questions
Shoot logistics in Bristol: questions
Do crew cars pay Bristol’s Clean Air Zone charge?
Bristol’s Clean Air Zone is Class D, so it charges cars as well as vans: £9 a day for a car or van below Euro 6 diesel or Euro 4 petrol, £100 for an HGV or coach, around the clock. Bath’s zone is Class C and doesn’t charge private cars (checked October 2026). A charging day runs midnight to midnight, and it’s paid on GOV.UK up to six days before or up to six days after; miss it and the penalty is £120 plus the charge, or £60 plus the charge within 14 days. We check every vehicle before it’s booked.
Is there a Clean Air Zone exemption for film vehicles?
Not one we plan on. The national exemptions apply in both Bristol and Bath: military and historic vehicles, ultra low emission ones and disabled tax class vehicles drive in free, so a period picture car with historic status pays nothing. Anything else that doesn’t meet the standard pays, on the quote at cost. Checked October 2026.
How do I suspend parking bays for a shoot in Bristol?
Through Bristol City Council’s Parking Services, on the film crew parking suspension form that Bristol Film Office links to, with at least three working days’ notice and a purchase order for the full cost. One day in a pay and display bay is £22 + VAT a vehicle, several days £15 a bay a day plus a £30 coning fee, and the council puts the cones out. There’s no approval email: the council only gets in touch if it needs more. Checked October 2026.
Where can a film unit park in Bristol?
Bristol Film Office books four unit bases: the Amphitheatre and Waterfront Square and Long Ashton Park and Ride at £600 to £820 a day, Church Lodge car park at Ashton Court at £600, and Redcliffe Wharf at £600, all plus VAT and including arrival and departure days. In Bath, Lansdown Playing Fields North is £555 for the car park. The Bottle Yard has 210 secure spaces at TBY1 and 160 at TBY2. Checked October 2026.
How long is the train from London to Bristol?
The fastest trains from London Paddington reach Temple Meads in 1 hour 19 minutes, and typically about 1 hour 40, about every 30 minutes. Bath Spa is 1 hour 19 from Paddington and 11 minutes from Temple Meads; Cardiff Central is 48 minutes from Temple Meads and Birmingham about 1 hour 25. Checked October 2026.
Can crew bring kit on the train to Bristol?
Some. GWR takes up to three pieces each that you can carry yourself, no more than two of them large and 23kg at most. CrossCountry asks for one item up to 90 x 70 x 30cm and allows no trolleys or four-wheeled trucks. Lighting, stands and carts come by van. Checked October 2026.
How do crew get from Bristol Airport to the city?
The A1 Flyer bus runs from the airport to Bristol Bus Station and Temple Meads in from 45 minutes, up to six an hour, at £15 return. Edinburgh, Glasgow, Belfast, Amsterdam and Paris all fly daily, all year round, and The Bottle Yard is 15 minutes from the airport by road. Checked October 2026.
Can you sort the logistics with the crew?
Yes. Send the dates, the locations and who’s travelling. We check every vehicle against both Clean Air Zones, then book the vans, bays, unit base, hotels and food with the crew, each on its own line of the quote, with travel and mileage at cost. Crew coming in from across the South West, Cardiff or London are on the quote before anything is booked. On a crew hire, everything we book carries the 10% booking fee and 2% insurance. Our team reads every brief within 2 working hours.
Around the crew
More for Bristol shoots
01
Kit rental
Kit houses in Clifton and at The Bottle Yard, the crew’s own kit, and what comes down from London.
02
Locations and permits
Bristol Film Office, Bath Film Office, the harbour, Clifton Suspension Bridge and the drone rules.
03
Studios and set builds
The Bottle Yard’s 11 stages, green screen and infinity coves across the city, and set builds.
