Blueprint for multi-million redevelopment of large swathe of Bristol revealed

A masterplan has been published for the billion-pound regeneration of a huge swathe of Bristol city centre.

The scheme, which is centred on Temple Meads station and the Temple Meads area of the city, will lead to creation of thousands of jobs and 10,000 new homes.

It is estimated that the scheme could pump £1.6bn into the city’s economy.

The blueprint has been published with the aim of encouraging people living in the city to have their say on the sweeping proposals.

The masterplan for the area includes six zones stretching from St Philip’s Marsh to the centre of the city.

Temple Quarter masterplan

According to Bristol’s mayor Marvin Rees the redevelopment of the area will take over a decade to complete but will transform the city.

The scheme includes the redevelopment of Temple Meads historic station, the completion of the redevelopment of Temple Quarter and a brand new Bristol University campus on derelict land next to the station.

The plans also include new housing, shops, hotels, offices and a purpose built conference centre.

The six new areas include the rail station, Temple Gate, Friary North, City Gateway, Mead Street and St Philip’s Marsh.

The St Philip’s area was once the industrial heartland of the city and is desperate need of regeneration. Much of the area is former industrial land which is being used for warehousing.

The area has been earmarked for new homes and a new secondary school is also being planned.

Former industrial land next to Temple Meads station was originally earmarked as the venue for Bristol’s long-awaited concert arena but has been left standing empty for decades.

Temple Quarter campus

Last year it was announced £100m worth of funding through the Homes England agency was being made available to help move the project forward.

Marvin Rees said: “Publishing this document is another step on the journey for Temple Quarter after years of work to get to this stage.

“Combined with the government funding we secured in 2022, we now have a clear and ambitious vision for delivering the affordable homes, new jobs and sustainable infrastructure the city needs to build a good pattern of life for residents here.

“The consultation is a chance for Bristolians to get their fingerprints on the framework and test the emerging principles for the regeneration of St Philip’s Marsh.”

West of England mayor Dan Norris said: “We want to hear from as many people as possible about their views on opportunities and challenges for the area, so we can make Temple Quarter the best it can be, while striving to reach our ambitious net zero targets.

“It’s now possible to move to this stage after the West of England Combined Authority I lead unlocked substantial government funding in April. This is another step along the way to get on with what people really want.  We are creating a new gateway to the city and wider region that would make Brunel proud.”

The consultation runs until Wednesday, March 8 and more details can be found here.