The Society strongly supports this massive redevelopment of former industrial land that runs from the Avon Street Bridge for more than 500m east to the St. Philip’s Causeway along the north bank of the Feeder Canal. The image produced by AWW Architects is not up to date; the scheme has evolved since publication. Silverthorne Lane is nowadays an eerily deserted place. It is framed by continuous stone walls. To the south are the ghosts of metal working trades; to the north the remnants of an extensive railway goods yard. There are three listed structures, the Grade II* former offices and Grade II listed factory of Lysaght’s Ironworks and a Grade II listed warehouse until recently occupied by Clark’s Wood Company. The site is part of the Temple Quarter Enterprise Zone that has come to life with the arrival of the new Bristol University Campus.
The landowners, Feeder Estates and their managing partner, the London-based developer Square Bay, are in the process of making a planning application for the whole site. The easternmost development area will be purpose-build student accommodation of about 750 bedspaces to be delivered by Future Generation, a specialist student accommodation developer. Moving west, the next development area is the site for the new Oasis Academy Temple Quarter, a 1,600-place secondary school to serve central and eastern Bristol. The third development area will be employment space. Bristol University will occupy part of the land. The university says that its commitment will offer additional employment, research and learning opportunities. The fourth development area, next to the Avon Street Bridge, will deliver about 400 new homes built by the Bristol-based housebuilder Studio HIVE with Atlas Land, which will include affordable housing.
The university campus extension, new school, residential and student accommodation will create a new canal-side community in the heart of the Temple Quarter Enterprise Zone. The Council has an aspiration for a new canal-side promenade. The Society has suggested that there should be a new bridge over the Feeder and the existing pedestrian bridge should be repaired and upgraded. This huge regeneration scheme is a major investment in the Council’s vision for Temple Quarter Enterprise Zone.
John Frenkel
Civic Society reponse to presentation, dated June 2019. Civic Society second response, dated November 2018
