News / Society
First view of redeveloped hotels opposite Temple Meads
This is what Engine Shed 2 opposite Bristol Temple Meads could look like.
The area around the station is due to be completely revamped in the near future, with the one-way system around the Temple Circus Gyratory changed into a traffic light-controlled junction, and a seven-storey building constructed in the space freed up by the new road layout.
This new development will completely change the first view visitors to Bristol have of the city, which has long been blighted by ugly and derelict buildings.
is needed now More than ever
As the Temple Quarter Enterprise Zone grows and becomes a vital part of the city, it will be important for visitors to see the best side of it when they first arrive.
The proposed new Engine Shed 2 will feature a bold glass cube, and will incorporate part of the currently derelict Grade II listed George & Railway Hotel, which has been empty and under scaffolding for many years.
In the proposed scheme, 30,000sq m of new office space would be created, along with new cafes and restaurants at street level, new landscaping and improved car parking.
However, Bristol Civic Society have raised concerns about the planned redevelopment, which would sit alongside the Grade 1 listed Temple Meads old station.
In a statement, they declared that they “cannot support” the proposed design, with the impact on the “nationally important group of buildings” around Temple Meads station their main concern.
They said that the retention of the George & Railway Hotel in the plans “will be reduced to a nominal gesture to conservation; an afterthought next to the mass of the new building”.
They also highlight the scale of the building, which, they say will “dominate the south side of the junction of the Temple Gate highway scheme and the setting of the Old Station”.
Despite their objections, Bristol Civic Society do recognise the need to redevelop this area, and say they support “the innovative architectural approach to the new development”.
They point to Wapping Wharf as a success story that could be emulated, with “a human scale” recommended to make the area more attractive to pedestrians and cyclists.