By Megan Patterson, News reporter
After a delay in gaining approval from the Building Safety Regulator, the £75 million construction is in its final stages. The building has been designed with energy efficiency in mind, in terms of the manufacturing and transport of materials as well as in the building process.
Avon Point is complete with a gym, study spaces, a rooftop terrace and bicycle storage, as well as air pumps and solar panels.
The building will accommodate both undergraduate and postgraduate students, with self-catered, en-suite bedrooms starting at £234.71 per week rising to £299.74 per week for a studio.
Located on Feeder road and overlooking Bristol Temple Meads station, the project is a result of a partnership between Unite Students and the University of Bristol in an attempt to regenerate the Temple Quarter region.
The transformation of Bristol Temple Quarter (BTQ) is part of one of the UK’s largest regeneration projects, which aims to convert 135 hectares of brownfield land into “thriving, well-connected, mixed-use communities” within 25 years.
The area went into decline in the 20th century due to dying industry and general neglect.
In 2022, nearly £95 million was awarded by the government to support the project, which involves the refurbishing of the Bristol Temple Meads station, and the demolition of underused buildings in place of 10,000 homes, a secondary school, a new University of Bristol campus and associated student accommodation. The regeneration aims to provide up to 22,000 new jobs.
A notable change in the skyline of BTQ involved the 2019 demolition of the postal sorting office, deemed an eyesore, yet also a notable landmark of entering Bristol Temple Meads station. In its place will be the new Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus (TQEC).
The new campus is set to take in 4,600 students and 650 staff members. Aiming to generate interdisciplinary discussion to solve local to global challenges, the campus will bring together business, computer science, engineering, maths, innovation and entrepreneurship students. Avon Point will be within a 5 minute walk of TQEC, which will open in 2026.
Olivia Beatson
Despite the ideal proximity to the train station, a large portion of BTQ is in medium to high flood risk zones, which has prompted the Environment Agency to oppose a number of developments in the BTQ scheme.
Local people have raised concerns that the BTQ will become a ‘pseudo-public space’ due to private sector involvement. The ongoing wait for the new secondary school, Oasis Academy, to be built in BTQ has also been a cause for concern for families throughout Bristol. As secondary schools continue to be overloaded with students, Oasis Academy is undergoing its second year of operating on a temporary site in Bedminster.
Featured Image: The University of Bristol
