Our proposal

We are proposing a scheme that we believe will deliver some important things on this major

A large, landscaped open space meeting the existing St Philip’s Footbridge;
A café opening onto this space, for everyone to use;
Improvements to Whitchurch Way to make that key cycle and pedestrian route safer and much more attractive, including a possible cycle hub and repair shop;
A high-quality landmark building, in a unique cruciform design, which we believe will set the bar for other developments that will follow;
Stepping the new building back from Albert Road, to create a wider pavement and attractive, landscaped public open space;

Creating workspace which is adaptable for existing tenants as well as supporting wider regeneration goals;
Trebling the number of jobs on the site, from 15 to 45;
Providing c.450 new bedrooms for students, just 300 metres from the new University campus;
A highly sustainable scheme reaching BREEAM Excellent standard and targeting net zero carbon in construction and operation;
Greening this industrial site, with four different open spaces, and enhancing the River Avon ‘greenway’.

View Of Entrance On Albert Road With Historic Rail Bridge In The Background

The scheme viewed along Albert Road.

View Of Scheme Looking From Across The Avon

Our site viewed across the Avon.

New public open spaces

Cruciform design allows room to create four separate open green spaces, one on each corner;
Three of those will be open to everyone; the other will be dedicated to outdoor amenity for students;
One large, landscaped area – with seating and planting throughout – is proposed at the bottom of the ramp leading onto St Philip’s Footbridge;

This space is perfectly located to transform this spot from the hostile environment it is now into a vibrant and active place – a new social hub;
The building line on Albert Road has been set back from the existing pavement, to create a much wider footpath and allow for an attractive landscaped space before the building’s entrance, whilst also ensuring delivery, service and emergency vehicles can park off Albert Road.

New café for everyone

Opening directly onto the new public open space next to the ramp leading onto St Philip’s Footbridge;
The café would be open to everyone throughout the year;

Alongside the new public open space, the café would help create a welcoming and vibrant hub for the local community, pedestrians, cyclists and students.

Improvements to Whitchurch Way

Whilst Whitchurch Way (this section is known as St Philip’s Greenway) is popular, it really needs some investment;
We are proposing to segregate cyclists and pedestrians, as requested by the local planning group;

As well as the huge investment in the actual development itself, the development would contribute c.£2.1 million in Community Interest Levy (CIL) that could – in part – be used to invest in improvements to the route;
But it would be for Bristol City Council to decide what form that might take, so let us know your thoughts and we’ll discuss with the council.

Design excellence

Design West – the independent body that advises the council on design – has responded very positively to our proposals, following two reviews with its design panel;
Cruciform shape means all parts of the building look outwards and avoids any north facing bedrooms, maximising daylight levels;
The building design will celebrate the locally listed iron railway bridge;
Four ‘wings’ create a distinct building that will look different from every viewpoint;
Varying approaches to the top, middle and bottom sections of each wing, to create visual interest and ‘articulation’;
Materials chosen to reflect the mixed industrial heritage;

Active frontages and access proposed to the east and west of the building, with a double height ground floor;
Building heights start at seven storeys (plus ground) facing East onto Albert Road, then climb to ten, thirteen and sixteen facing West across the Avon towards proposed development on the other side of the river;
For context, look at the illustration to see other schemes coming forward in this wider Temple Quarter regeneration area;
Designed to maximise daylight levels while avoiding energy loss and overheating;
We have reviewed the consultation documents for the Temple Quarter Framework, to ensure our proposals do not prohibit any of the design principles that are evolving from that process.

Temple Quarter Emerging Context Key

Trebling number of jobs

Currently there are three companies on the site: Valesco Fitness Collective, Johnstone’s Decorating Centre, and Electric Centre;
We are talking to all of them – the gym owners are keen to be part of the new development;
Currently the three employ a total of 15 people;

Our development would create 45 new jobs, making a significant contribution to this area being redeveloped for jobs as well as homes;
We have already commenced detailed discussion with the council and local organisations on how we would deliver work placements, apprenticeships and job opportunities for local people directly from the construction works.

Delivering student accommodation in the right place

The University of Bristol continues to play a key role in the city;
Its new Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus will deliver an estimated £626m of employment and financial benefit to the regional economy over the next decade;
Purpose built student accommodation provides well-managed homes for youngsters coming into Bristol to study;

By building these developments it eases pressure on the wider housing stock;
This location is just 300 metres from the new campus – so perfectly placed for student accommodation;
We have been working closely with the University to ensure our design meets the standards it requires;
We are providing a mix of room clusters to ensure that the students have flexibility in the way they wish to live.

Highly sustainable scheme

Designed to meet exacting BREEAM Excellent standard;
The team is targeting construction and operational Net Zero Carbon, including energy efficiency, from earliest design stages;
We have already commissioned a Whole Life Carbon Assessment, to help understand how to achieve that;
Our proposal includes the flexibility to connect to the city’s district heat network, or to utilise on-site air source heat pumps and rooftop photovoltaics, to minimise operational energy use;
Green and brown roofs will also be incorporated into the design;
The student development will be a zero car scheme, with ample bike storage and cycling support facilities.

With industrial buildings and tarmac car parking, the existing site currently has very little biodiversity;
Our plan includes four distinct green open spaces on each corner of the site, with extensive planting;
Tree planting is also proposed along Albert Road frontage;
Substantial biodiversity net-gain anticipated;
In line with the emerging Temple Quarter framework, the development will support enhancements to the existing riverbank ‘greenway’, which includes substantial planting to support existing wildlife in this important riverside habitat;
Approach taken includes encouraging nature to ‘colonise’ parts of the site, to allow for some ‘wildness’ where the site meets the river.

Aligning with council’s flood strategy

The site sits within the Environment Agency’s Flood Zone 3a;
Like all central Bristol the site faces longer-term risk of tidal flooding…and we are planning the development for what might happen in the next 200 years;
Bristol City Council has been making progress with its own flood strategy which will see significant investment in flood defence measures;
We are ensuring we align with that strategy;

But – in the meantime – we have to design our scheme to be able to deal with potential flooding;
So, we’ve included measures to handle a tidal flood, including resilient building features at ground floor;
Even though anyone caught in a tidal flood in the decades ahead would be able to stay safe simply by waiting above ground floor for the water to subside, we shall provide a safe route above the flood level for them to leave the site – and emergency crews to access site – should they need to.