Plans for the redevelopment of a prominent area in the Temple Quarter took a step forward this week with the Bristol City Council Cabinet decision to approve the Joint Development and Land Agreement for Engine Shed 2, Temple Square and Station Approach.
The decision paves the way for the comprehensive redevelopment of the Temple Circus site, a goal the council has been seeking since 2008. The scheme aims to create a first class welcome to Bristol for passengers arriving into Temple Meads and will improve links between the station and city centre. It also opens up new land for employment space – contributing to the council’s ambitious targets for creating jobs in the Enterprise Zone.
As part of this, there are plans for the George & Railway building to be transformed into Engine Shed 2, providing follow-on space from the original Engine Shed for rapidly growing companies. The Cabinet decision authorises use of a compulsory purchase order (CPO) to enable redevelopment of the neighbouring Grosvenor Hotel building, should ongoing negotiations with the current owners fail.
Councillor Craig Cheney commented:
“Temple Square is a gateway to the Temple Quarter and we are making good progress towards improving the road layout and opening up new development land in this area. It’s now time to focus on how we can move forward with the redevelopment of these eyesore buildings – not only to provide a better first impression of Bristol but also to create new jobs and opportunities as part of a thriving city centre.”
