Bristol’s Temple Quarter Enterprise Zone is to be increased in a landmark move that paves the way for the city’s highly successful Engine Shed innovation hub to expand into a much-needed second building.
The approval this week by Bristol City Council’s cabinet will also trigger the redevelop of the long-derelict island site in front of Temple Meads railway station and get the station’s much-delayed facelift back on track. 
Combined, the new redevelopments will create of a new gateway to the city centre and also open up further development land around the station, allowing the Enterprise Zone to meet its full potential.
Extending the 70-hectare (173-acre) Enterprise Zone – a move first mooted in last year’s Autumn Statement – will allow the council to use future retained business rates to further develop the zone and could contribute to the redevelopment of Temple Meads station, one of the last remaining unimproved UK mainline stations.
All business rates growth generated by an enterprise zone is kept by the Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) and council to reinvest in economic growth. The LEP and Council lobbied hard last year for the zone to be extended to bring in the funds badly needed to rennovate Temple Meads station.
While essential upgrade work at Temple Meads is likely to cost £295m, owner Network Rail had committed just £80m for redevelopment as part of the electrification of the Great Western mainline.
The cabinet also approved a proposal to enter into an agreement with developer Skanska to redevelop the derelict island site into a home for the expansion of the Engine Shed.
Engine Shed, pictured, which opened in 2013 to offer space for high-growth businesses, contributed £7m to the economy in its first year of operation. It has since been hampered by a lack of grow-on space.
Mayor of Bristol Marvin Rees said: “It is really important that in these challenging financial times we continue to plan for the future and invest in projects that will bring forward inward investment, jobs and much needed homes for our citizens. The Temple Quarter Enterprise Zone will deliver a new urban quarter for the city, turning sites that have been derelict for years into places that create employment opportunities and are open to all.
“I particularly welcome the proposal to expand the zone that could help to fund the redevelopment of Temple Meads station to create an improved transport hub, ensuring that the full potential of the Enterprise Zone is realised.
“We will continue to work together with our partners Network Rail, the Homes and Communities Agency and the West of England Local Enterprise Partnership to make this long term aspiration a reality.”
Bristol’s Temple Quarter Enterprise Zone is regarded as one of the most successful in the country and has already attracted around 2,000 jobs to the area. Engine Shed, a partnership project with the University of Bristol, has been a key contributor to that success and has demonstrated the innovation that can come from co-locating and nurturing businesses.
The potential development of Engine Shed II on the derelict George and Railway island site offers an opportunity to create more space to inspire young people to become the entrepreneurs of the future while transforming a gateway site close to the station that has been an eyesore for years.
Engine Shed director Nick Sturge said: “Engine Shed has been an exciting journey for us, exploring the strengths of collaboration not only between Bristol City Council and the University of Bristol but also the other local universities and local authorities as well as the many partners we have collaborated with.
“Hosting the world’s number one business incubator, SETsquared, is just a part of Engine Shed’s successful formula – hosting other strategic ‘components’ like Webstart, TechSpark, the LEP and Invest Bristol & Bath has allowed us to add significantly to the profile of the city region, internationally, and also to help raise the aspirations of young people in the city and neighbouring areas, to help make sure that we have an inspired, motivated, diverse and skilled workforce for the future.
“Engine Shed II will give us significantly more scale to deliver more economic activity in the city-region – that is more inclusive of the local, especially under-represented, communities. We want to create an environment that is iconic and representative of the ambition for the city.
“The cross-party support from Cabinet members was a fabulous sign of the very Bristolian collaborative approach to long-term, sustainable and inclusive economic growth that exists in the West of England and we are proud to be a part of that.”
Redevelopment of the station will open up an area east of Temple Meads to include parts of Redcliffe and other sites close to the existing boundary.
Some 9.5m passengers travelled through Temple Meads station in 2014. The iconic station was built in 1840 by Brunel and much expanded in the 1870s and 1930s but is now plagued by its extremely congested entrance and exit ramp, overcrowded passenger tunnel, insufficient car parking and lack of key facilities such as shops, bars and toilets.
Following further work to determine exact boundaries, proposals will be submitted by the West of England LEP for consideration by government. Subject to approval the extension would come into effect next April.
