The Government has finally agreed to handover £95.8 million to kickstart the Temple Quarter regeneration project, ministers have announced today.
The money was needed to start the stalled project which will see Temple Meads station transformed, and that will then open up the area next door at Temple Quarter ultimately for 10,000 new homes, offices, a conference centre and new University of Bristol campus.
The project has been stalled for almost five years, with Bristol Mayor Marvin Rees calling out Homes England and the Government earlier this year for promising the regeneration money for years but not actually delivering it, when it was left off a list of Government 'Levelling Up' announcements.
Read more: Views sought on 1,500 new Bristol homes near Temple Meads
Today, West of England metro mayor Dan Norris, Marvin Rees and Levelling Up minister Neil O’Brien are set to visit the area at Temple Meads, as Mr Norris said he has signed the £95.8 million deal with the Government and is now getting the money.
The money will initially pay for a major overhaul of Temple Meads station, creating new entrances - including a key one out to the east of the station which leads directly onto the land that is set to be transformed by the University and Bristol City Council.
The Government said the funding will unlock the first phase of this scheme, with future plans to develop 57 hectares of land across St Philip’s Marsh in phase two. “The scheme will help to address regional inequalities by focusing on a highly deprived area of Bristol, delivering new affordable homes, generating skills, training, and employment opportunities while improving transport, boosting regional productivity and economic growth,” a spokesperson said.
The partnership between the West of England Combined Authority, Bristol City Council, Network Rail and Homes England will bring forward the regeneration of approximately 130 hectares - equivalent to about 182 football pitches - of brownfield land.
Mr Norris said the project will end up creating 22,000 jobs, and opens up the whole of the Temple Quarter area for 10,000 new homes, bringing in an estimated £1.6 billion pounds into the region’s economy over the next 25 years. It’s being described as Bristol’s ‘biggest ever regeneration project’.
“Building new homes in the places they are most needed and regenerating our towns and cities lies at the heart of the Government’s levelling up mission,” said minister Neil O’Brien MP.
“It’s fantastic to be in Bristol today to see this levelling up in action; central government working with local leaders and industry to grow the economy, delivering the high-quality new homes this country needs and breathing new life into neglected places.”
Mayor Marvin Rees had said Homes England and the Government had broken their promises on the money in the past, but now Homes England’s boss Peter Denton confirmed they would be signing up to the deal.
“The Temple Quarter programme provides a step change in how regeneration can be delivered, with the public partnership steering the regeneration, inviting further investment and partnerships with world class regeneration partners,” he said.
“We are committed to working with ambitious local authorities seeking to meet their local housing needs through delivery of key infrastructure. The multimillion-pound government funding will resolve much needed improvements to the infrastructure surrounding the station, unlocking critical housing sites and allowing the partnership between the Combined Authority, Bristol City Council, Network Rail and Homes England to deliver their vision for the local community and develop a sense of place,” he added.
The money is going to the West of England Combined Authority, which is now administering the project. Metro Mayor Dan Norris said: “I’m thrilled that the Combined Authority, that I lead, has been awarded £95m to invest in Temple Quarter one of the most exciting regeneration projects in Europe.
“Now we need to make sure that the buildings and infrastructure and the high skilled jobs we bring in, truly match our ambitions on tackling the climate emergency and use the skills of our amazingly talented workers to make this area something to be very proud of.
“Combine this with the refurbishment of Brunel’s iconic station and we really will have, at long last, the jewel in the crown in the heart of our great city and fantastic region,” he added.
And Bristol Mayor Marvin Rees said the announcement was ‘extremely welcome’. “Temple Quarter creates the opportunity to make our city more sustainable and better connected, while providing the affordable homes, accessible jobs and training that our citizens want and need as we tackle the climate and ecological challenges,” he said.
“This announcement is extremely welcome and is the result of a productive partnership between Bristol City Council, the West of England Combined Authority, Network Rail and Homes England that first met in 2017 to plan for the successful regeneration at the heart of the city region.
“The partnership has brought forward a realistic, integrated vision to create a thriving new area of the city that will be key to Bristol’s and the city region’s journey to becoming an inclusive and sustainable economy, boosting Bristol’s role as a major driver of the city region and Western Gateway economies. This funding will unlock the infrastructure and public spaces needed to support further delivery on homes, jobs and inclusive growth and will underpin Bristol’s connectivity, sustainability and path to carbon neutrality,” he added.
The big changes will first be seen at Temple Meads, which Network Rail’s regional boss Mike Gallop said would transform the station into a ‘world class transport hub’.
“We welcome this funding announcement and look forward to continuing working with our partners to revitalise Bristol Temple Quarter, including transforming Bristol Temple Meads station into a world class transport hub with three new entrances, a multistorey car park and new commercial and retail for the benefit of our passengers, the city of Bristol and wider West of England region.
“Our work to modernise the railway near Bristol Temple Meads and the renovation of the station itself is continuing to progress really well. Last summer we completed a £132m major track upgrade at Bristol East Junction resulting in a clever new track layout and state of the art signalling equipment, providing passengers with more reliable and better journeys to and from Bristol Temple Meads, while the next phase of our work to refurbish the station’s historic train shed roof is ongoing,” he added.
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