On 6 November Bristol City Council’s Cabinet will be asked to authorise the compulsory purchase of land including the derelict Grosvenor Hotel on Temple Gate, giving a further boost to the regeneration of the Temple Quarter district.
The current works to reconfigure the Temple Circus junction have created a new opportunity for comprehensive development of this landmark site – a goal the council has been seeking since before 2008.
The Grosvenor Hotel stands in a prominent location in front of Temple Meads station and has lain semi-derelict for around 30 years. Council officers have made several previous attempts to purchase the hotel from its current owners but these have not been successful to date. Efforts to negotiate will continue but in order to make progress it is likely that compulsory acquisition will be necessary.
Cabinet will decide whether to approve this approach at their next meeting on Tuesday 6 November. They will also receive an update on the development of Engine Shed 2, a new office and incubator space to be delivered on the adjacent George and Railway site.
Cllr Craig Cheney, Deputy Mayor with responsibility for Finance, Governance and Performance said:
“Bristol Temple Quarter is one of the UK’s largest regeneration projects and a key priority for the city council as part of our efforts to deliver new homes, employment and sustainable growth for the benefit of local people.
“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.”
Detailed planning permission for the development of Engine Shed 2 and outline planning consent for the Temple Square development were granted in November 2017. It is proposed that Engine Shed 2 will be developed to complement and expand the existing Engine Shed hub which is ranked jointly as the world’s top business incubator.
It is intended that a key component of the development of land between 100 Temple Street, Engine Shed 2 and Temple Square will be to create a new high quality area of public realm called Temple Square Plaza.
