Around 200 of Bristol's leading movers and shakers met in Brunel's Passenger Shed next to Temple Meads Station today to explore ideas for stimulating enterprise and economic growth in Temple Quarter – the 173 acres of mainly derelict land around the station.
The area was named in March as the West of England's Enterprise Zone, and the initial vision is to create a long-term, hi-tech hub of choice for the city's fast-growing creative industry.
Designer, writer and television presenter Kevin McCloud, who lives in Frome, set the scene and threw out ideas for the audience of business leaders, architects, many representatives from the city's media and creative industry and civic leaders, to think in terms of how the area can be transformed. He was invited to attend the event by the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) which owns 14 acres adjacent to Temple Meads station within the development zone.
Mr McCloud, who also owns a property company which has developed sustainable and affordable housing in Swindon, said: "The government does have land to release which can have a significant impact and the HCA are working hard to release land early for development. He described Bristol as one of the most fascinating places in Britain with its interest in sustainable lifestyles backed by a strong hi-tech influences.
City council leader Barbara Janke told Bristol Business News: " I am hoping today's event is going to get things started – we are not expecting plans to emerge at this stage but to get people thinking quickly about how they would like this enterprise to move forward."
She said the BBC – the city's biggest media employer and producer – is still considering its options. There has been much speculation that its huge Whiteladies Road site will be sold for development and that a new broadcasting centre will be created elsewhere in the city. Just where that site will be is not clear but Cllr Janke said: "We are still actively in conversation with them and we have certainly talked to them about the enterprise zone as it would create a clustering effect for other media and creative businesses. But this is the BBC's decision."
Colin Skellett, chairman of the Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) , which created the Enterprise Zone, said he hoped to achieve three objectives from the meeting: "Good ideas, a feeling for how the concept might develop – and finding people to work with us."
He added that present the approach by rail to Temple Meads station looks like a war zone but as one of a first wave of 11 zones within LEPs, the area offer incentives such as a business rate discount for new occupiers capped at £250,000 over five years, simplified planning rules and the roll-out of super-fast broadband.
"We want to create a superb new gateway to Bristol – and we have a couple of hundred people here today engaged in making this all come. The future for the zone is very exciting and it will help if funding comes through for the city's rapid transit bus system.
"There may not be a lot of money available at the moment but the government is really keen – a fact that was illustrated by the Prime Minister, David Cameron, coming to the launch ceremony earlier this year.”
