Planning permission granted for University of Bristol campus

A derelict former Royal Mail sorting office will be demolished to make way for the new Temple Quarter Campus

Outline planning permission has been approved for a new £300m campus for the University of Bristol next to the city's Temple Meads railway station.

A derelict former Royal Mail sorting office and adjoining 1970s office building will be demolished to make way for the new Temple Quarter Campus.

The campus will house a digital innovation centre, a business school and student residential village.

It is expected to open at the start of the 2021-22 academic year.

The 1930s sorting office at Cattle Market Road, described by many as an "eyesore", has been derelict since 1997.

It was famously described by former Prime Minster David Cameron as looking like an "entrance to a war zone".

Mayor Marvin Rees has said he is glad the site is being transformed as it was "dragging Bristol down".

Professor Guy Orpen, deputy vice-chancellor of the university, said: "Our plans to develop the site of the former sorting office right beside Brunel's iconic station are exciting for both the city and its university.

"We are committed to delivering a world-class centre for education, research, partnership and innovation that will be a success story not just for the university but for the city, its businesses, communities and citizens."

The university said the new main academic building will create a "gateway" to Bristol Temple Meads station and an "iconic" education centre in the heart of the city.