President hails landmark day in Bristol uni campus build

Accommodation on Temple Island is expected to provide living space for some 900 students and is due to open in 2026

Work on a new university campus will start next month following the appointment of a contractor.

The University of Bristol is developing Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus by Bristol Temple Meads station.

The project is worth an estimated £500m and contracts have been signed with construction firm Robert McAlpine.

Vice-chancellor and university president prof Evelyn Welch said it was a "landmark" day. The site will be home to some 4,600 students and 650 staff.

Accommodation on Temple Island is expected to provide living space for some 900 students and it is currently planned to open in 2026.

Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus is due to open in 2026

A 38,000 sqm academic building will be built by construction firm Sir Robert McAlpine.

It will be home to the university's Business School, digital engineering research groups, Centre for Entrepreneurship and Innovation and the Quantum Technologies Innovation Centre.

The site will be home to 4,600 students and 650 university staff in the fields of data science, creative industries and quantum technology

The campus is part of the wider redevelopment of Bristol Temple Quarter that is planned to create 22,000 new jobs, 10,000 new homes and new student accommodation.

Prof Welch said: "Today really is a landmark day - not just for the University of Bristol but for the city as a whole."

Marvin Rees, Mayor of Bristol, said: "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."