Bristol Temple Quarter gets £95m of government Levelling Up funds

Bristol's biggest regeneration project has been awarded £95m as part of the government's Levelling Up project.

Thousands of new homes and jobs will be created through the regeneration of Bristol Temple Quarter.

The scheme will see the remodelling of Temple Meads station, with new entrances to the north, south and east.

Funds will also support the development of sites behind the station, notably the old gas works site, Temple island and the wider St Phillip's marsh land.

The Bristol Temple Quarter project is expected to provide a financial and economic boost to Bristol and the wider region, delivering up to 10,000 homes and 22,000 jobs.

The £95m funding will go towards the first phase of the scheme, with future plans in phase two set to include the development of 57 hectares (141 acres) of land across St Philip's Marsh.

The funds will be used on areas immediately around Bristol Temple Meads station, with 2,500 new homes by 2032 and supporting about 2,200 jobs.

The announcement was made by Levelling Up Minister and Conservative MP Neil O'Brien, who was visiting the city.

He said: "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.

"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."

Giving his reaction, Labour's West of England Metro Mayor Dan Norris said: "I'm thrilled that the [West of England] 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."

Labour's Mayor of Bristol Marvin Rees credited the funding given to the partnership between Bristol City Council, the West of England Combined Authority, Network Rail and Homes England.

He added it had "brought forward a realistic, integrated vision to create a thriving new area of the city".

The development of Bristol Temple Meads station is expected to enable it to double its capacity to 22 million passengers a year.

It will include a new concourse to the northern entrance, by the Friary, with improved retail, ticket office and passenger facilities.

This will open up to a new transport hub on the Friary with easy connections for pedestrians, cyclists and the local and citywide bus network.

The eastern entrance will give access to the University's Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus, St Philip's Marsh and communities to the east of the station.

A new south entrance will include a multi-storey car park with a passenger footbridge to the station.

Mike Gallop, Network Rail's Western route and strategic operations director, welcomed the funding announcement, which he said would turn the station into "a world class transport hub".

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