The derelict former Royal Mail sorting office next to Temple Meads station could be bought by Bristol City Council and redeveloped as part of the Temple Quarter Enterprise Zone.
The crumbling building, which has stood empty for 17 years, is loathed by business leaders, tourist chiefs and politicians for blighting such an important gateway to the city and giving millions of visitors arriving by train a bad impression of Bristol.
But until this week it appeared they had been powerless to act. Talks with its Malaysian owners about its future have been deadlocked for months.
Now the city council’s cabinet has switched funding previously allocated to buy the land needed for the nearby Arena to allow it to acquire and redevelop the sorting office site off Cattle Market Road.
Its previous London-based owner had planned to turn the building into a media and creative centre with offices and apartments. It was suggested that it could become a new home for the BBC’s Bristol-based departments – creating a ‘media city’ similar to the broadcaster’s new base in Salford.
That would have fitted in with plans to create a cultural quarter around the £90m, 12,000-capacity Arena, which is expected to open in 2017.
Bristol Mayor George Ferguson said: “The Arena is one of my absolute top priorities and cabinet’s decision is another significant milestone in taking the project forward and means the old Royal Mail sorting depot can be redeveloped after lying derelict for over 17 years.
“As well as enhancing development in Temple Quarter Enterprise Zone it will also significantly improve the appearance to the key gateway into the city via Temple Meads Station. We are, at long last, well on the way to have a gateway to Bristol that we can all be proud of.”
West of England Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) chair Colin Skellett added: “It’s good to see progress being made on the removal of this derelict and unattractive building. This is a key site within the Enterprise Zone with links to Temple Meads station and proposed new pedestrian and cycle routes. Opening it up will help attract more new investment creating even more new jobs.”
The grant of £5.425m from the Department of Communities and Local Government is being used to support the transfer of Arena Island from the Homes and Communities Agency to Bristol City Council.
The Bristol Arena will generate up to 400 jobs and development of nearby sites in the enterprise zone including the former Royal Mail sorting office site and Arena Island could provide space for up to a further 2,300 jobs, according to the council.
Bringing the former sorting office site into council ownership will also bring better connections to Temple Meads station and allow landing points for a proposed pedestrian bridge from Arena Island and links to a proposed floating pontoon cycleway and walkway from Temple Quay to Totterdown Basin.
Pictured: The derelict sorting office. Photo courtesy of Bristol Culture
