Construction on a new campus for the University of Bristol is set to begin next month. The new set of university buildings, titled the Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus will be located next to Temple Meads Station, and will provide capacity for 4600 students and 650 staff. This new hub for the city will open in 2026.
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The plans for the £500m development were made official as the university signed contracts with construction company Sir Robert McAlpine. The area, formerly a Royal Mail sorting site, will include not only educational spaces and student housing, but also offices, shops, and 10,000 homes, as well as new entrances to the station. New walking and cycling paths will be added to link the city centre to the east of the city.
Vice-Chancellor and President of the University, Professor Evelyn Welch, said: “Today really is a landmark day – not just for the University of Bristol but for the city as a whole. The Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus has been designed to meet the needs and nurture the aspirations of our students, staff and partners across the city and the wider region. It provides outstanding facilities to build on our collective strengths in research, innovation, learning and societal change. We are delighted to be working with Sir Robert McAlpine to bring these new facilities to life.”
The new Temple Meads campus will be home to the Quantum Technologies Innovation Centre as well as the Business School, the Centre for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, and digital engineering research groups. In addition to student spaces, the buildings will also include collaborative and community areas where partners and those local to the area can participate in programmes, events, and research.
Mayor of Bristol, Marvin Rees, said: “Temple Quarter will help deliver even more of the sustainable homes, innovation, jobs, and infrastructure that Bristol needs, including for the communities in and around the regeneration area. Delivering the University of Bristol’s new Enterprise Campus will help our city continue to strengthen its position at the centre of our regional economy. This is another milestone for Temple Quarter, after we secured £95 million last year to help transform Temple Meads. Our landmark investment will help to unlock 22,000 new jobs and 10,000 new homes in this part of our city – bringing a £1.6 billion annual boost to Bristol.”
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