The Mayor of Bristol claims Downing Street has broken promises made to Bristol to fund a massive regeneration scheme around Temple Meads, after it was left off a list of projects in the so-called ‘Levelling Up’ agenda.
Marvin Rees said the Temple Quarter scheme had the backing of Government departments and that people in Downing Street had told him personally it was an ‘absolute banker of a scheme’, but an expected £100m investment to kick-start the work has not materialised.
That was despite ‘a constant, constant stream of promises from Government’ that the money would come and the deal could be done, he said.
READ MORE: Concerns raised over Temple Quarter regeneration amid uncertain funding
Describing the situation as ‘incredibly frustrating’, the Mayor said the way central Government funds things outside of London with local authorities is a ‘model that’s busted’, and said unless the project is named later today or in the coming days, there will be a question mark over its future.
Mr Rees said city leaders in Bristol had worked with the Government for four years on the scheme, which would see a regeneration of Temple Meads train station, followed by a series of other major projects on land around the station that is currently derelict or wasteland.
That includes ‘Temple Island’, where previous mayor George Ferguson had struck a deal to build an arena, but now will see student halls, a business and conference centre and an office complex in a deal between the city council and L&G.
The Temple Quarter project will also deliver a huge new campus for the University of Bristol, as well as a new transport hub, new homes and offices all around a revamped station.
But Bristol City Council and the Temple Quarter project has been waiting for the investment money for the station to come through. It was mentioned as being stalled by the mayor last year, but he said he had been reassured it would be coming.
As far back as June last year, Bristol Live revealed that the money that had been expected appeared to be delayed.
Speaking during a press briefing earlier today (Wednesday, February 2), Mr Rees said: “It’s been two years in the offing.
“Anyone who is committed to Bristol, who believes in Bristol and wants the best for it, would be quite frustrated with, and very disappointed with [this].
“For four years, Government has promised us a commitment on Temple Meads and it’s still not come through.
“We were of the understanding it was going to be in the announcement today. I’ve had direct conversations with people in Downing Street who have told me that this is an absolute banker of a scheme.
“I was asked to speak in a Government tent at MIPIM [an international property event] and they introduced the whole Temple Quarter scheme as one of the most exciting regeneration opportunities in Europe.
“So we’ve had a constant, constant stream of promises from Government that the deal on Temple Meads and Temple Quarter would be done,” he added.
“We’ve pulled the right group of people together to get this done - local representatives, myself and Tim Bowles [former WECA mayor], and now Dan Norris [current WECA mayor] sat side by side with Homes England, Network Rail, University of Bristol, Heritage England, Department for Transport - all the key organisations - to get it done.
“Our hope is that over the coming days that the announcement of the near £100m to progress on Temple Meads will come through,” he said.
The Levelling Up plan for the UK was unveiled today by Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove, aiming to improve services and facilities in areas in need of investment.
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However, no new cash has been allocated for the scheme - Mr Gove said the aim is to ensure effective spending in the right places, rather than providing an entirely new pot of funding.
Mr Rees said the Levelling Up agenda missing out Bristol’s biggest investment and regeneration project was ‘incredibly frustrating’.
He said: “The way finance works between Central Government and Local Government is a model that’s busted. And actually ‘Levelling Up’ should have done some work to deal with this. We want to plan, we want to give investors confidence, we want to give city partners confidence.
"But while we’re in this situation where we don’t have the powers we need to grab our futures by the scruff of the neck and secure that investment so that the university can progress with confidence about what context their new campus will be progressing in, so the L&G site on Temple Island can progress, so that we can look at our local supply chains, our local skills force, and plan so that local people and local businesses can get those contracts - you can see that while we’re in this back foot kind of relationship constantly undermines that planning.”
He said he hoped to hear that the Government would announce it separately from the earlier announcements of investment, in the coming days.
“The Government have talked about King’s Cross-style regeneration programmes across the country - this is the biggest King’s Cross style opportunity outside of London that there is in England at this moment in time,” he added.
Bristol Live has contacted the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities for comment.
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