Tower blocks to be built on site once set aside for Bristol arena

[whole diary]

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

Flats to be built on site once set aside for arena

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One of the tower blocks will be up to 19-storeys tall

Plans to build numerous tower blocks on land once earmarked for a 20,000-seat arena have been approved.

The new estate, which includes 520 flats and offices, will be built near Bristol Temple Meads railway station, on land between the River Avon and A4 Bath Road.

An indoor arena was previously planned for the site before it was abandoned in 2018, with former Bristol Mayor Marvin Rees deciding to build it in Filton instead.

The proposals by Legal and General were approved by Bristol City Council on Wednesday.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the major finance company's plans also include a riverside footpath, a play area, bars, shops and a hotel. The flats will be split over four blocks, with the tallest reaching up to 19 storeys. The firm said the scheme would take a decade to build.

Ben Denton, head of strategy at Legal and General, said: "L&G will be the long-term owner and operator of the commercial space, the market-rented homes and the affordable homes on the site." He said 20% of the homes will be affordable, partly paid for by a government grant from Homes England.

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The plans also include bars, shops and a hotel

Speaking at the meeting, Kim Hicks, from Bristol Civic Society, said the tower blocks "will be depressing to look at and live and work among, especially in dull and damp weather".

"This development requires a major redesign that results in a fresh and welcoming approach to Bristol, and is keeping with the brightness of Temple Meads. It should not be a grim reminder of the dirty, grimy, smoke-stained buildings of industrial Britain," she added.

The council's transport experts also expressed concerns about the impact on traffic on Bath Road, the main route in and out of the city centre for south Bristol.

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Bristol's new arena, called Aviva Arena, will built in Filton instead

However a council report said the project will deliver "significant economic benefits" for the city including "approximately 3,000 full-time jobs".

The report said: "The development proposed complies with this policy and there are no material considerations to outweigh this compliance."

Councillors voted unanimously in favour of approving the plans.

Legal and General said their plans would contribute to the wider regeneration of Temple Quarter, the area around Temple Meads and St Philips Marsh.

The development was backed by the University of Bristol, which said the new buildings would help cement their new Enterprise Campus, which is being built next to the site.

[Noggin]

Ultimately, whatever you think of the development, this should be a very good thing for the railway, and the region's public transport in general.

In addition to the current Temple Quay development, the University's new building will shortly be opening (which is massive BTW^▸ ('by the way')). The new eastern railway entrance eases access to the station for the whole of St Phillips and Temple Island.

Temple Island seems likely to end up a Battersea Power Station-style development with a couple of big office blocks, hotel, conference centre etc. There's minimal provision for cars in the design, so it's reliant on public transport and cycling.

It's going to move the city's economic "centre of gravity" south east, significantly boosting the case for overground-style rail frequencies, rail electrification, and some kind of airport rail - it can no longer be argued that Temple Meads is "in the middle of nowhere". It should significantly contribute to traffic on the new Portishead and Henbury services and build the case for more infill stations. The near-omission of Temple Meads from the MetroBus network increasingly looks like a mistake too.

Expect some packed trains for a few years before the railway catches up though.

P.S. In case anyone is interested, the Engine Shed startup incubator which is currently in Brunel's old station, will move into the new University building by December. NR^» (Network Rail - home page) is the landlord, having acquired the building in a rather sorry state from Bristol City Council, spending several million on repairs and evicting a number of tenants who didn't actually have leases.