Plans submitted for first office building on YTL’s huge Brabazon development

Plans have now gone in for a landmark Grade A office building on a gateway at Brabazon, the huge mixed-use development on Bristol’s outskirts.

YTL Developments’ application for the eight-storey office development will be the first permanent commercial space at the scheme, hailed earlier this year as “a rare opportunity to reimagine how best to live, work and play in today’s world”.

Designed by AHR Architects, which has a base in Bristol, the office building will be immediately above the development’s new railway station and will also house a ticket office, making it just the third in the region after Bristol Temple Meads and Bristol Parkway to be staffed.

Seb Loyn, planning and development director at YTL Developments, said: “The start of construction on the new station at Brabazon earlier this month is a game changer for North Bristol.

“At a time when central Bristol is struggling to meet demand for top-quality commercial space, now city centre occupiers have a genuine and sustainable alternative. Brabazon will offer all the advantages of the city centre and amazing road access to the M4 and M5, but none of the compromises of traditional uninspiring, car-dependent business parks.

“The first new Grade A office space at Brabazon is a landmark moment for the new neighbourhood. Located next to the new station at Brabazon, it will provide the area’s world-leading commercial cluster with the space, connectivity and opportunity to grow and expand.”

The 380-acre former Filton Airfield site is the South West’s largest brownfield development and one of the largest in the UK. It was acquired by YTL Power, part of the giant YTL conglomerate, in 2016.

YTL, Malaysia’s largest construction company responsible for designing and building the iconic Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, has already invested heavily in the site.

The new office building will a total include 123,330 sq ft of Grade A space. Up to 800 people are expected to work in the building when fully occupied.

Subject to planning approval, construction would be undertaken by the YTL Group’s in-house contracting firm – YTL Construction UK – and is expected to complete in early 2028.

The new commercial buildings are part of YTL Developments’s approved masterplan for Brabazon, which includes over 6,500 new homes, 2,000 beds of student accommodation, and 86 acres of public squares, parks and playing fields.

The 3.7m sq ft of commercial space will support up to 30,000 jobs, while over £100m is being invested in sustainable transport infrastructure.

YTL said Brabazon was already established as one of the best new residential addresses in the West of England. The largest dedicated student accommodation project in the region is currently under construction, while the innovative Boxworks container-based workspace studios are already incubating a new generation of early-stage and start-up businesses.

The announcement of the first permanent commercial space at Brabazon is the next stage in the evolution of this award-winning new city district into a thriving new neighbourhood for Bristol.

Adam Spall, regional director at AHR Architects, said: “This new first office building at Brabazon makes a bold statement. It sets a new standard for sustainable design that aligns with the environmental goals of a modern business.

“The thoughtfully designed ground floor seamlessly blends the private office space with the station entrance, publicly accessible cafe and vibrant public square.

“Offering cutting-edge amenities, rail connectivity and an inspiring workplace environment, the new building will provide businesses with everything they need to attract the next generation of talent to Bristol.”

Inspired by Danish capital Copenhagen, the Brabazon project is being designed to allow people to access essential services – workplaces, schools, shops, public transport and healthcare – within a 15-minute radius of their home.

Around 300 homes have been built so far on the site. The new station, which is planned to open in 2026 , is seen as crucial for helping people get to what will be the UK’s third largest arena behind the AO in Manchester and London’s O2.

It will connect to Bristol Temple Meads in less than 15 minutes, providing easy access to the Ministry of Defence at Filton Abbey Wood and to the University of Bristol’s new Temple Quarter Campus.