Bristol: former Royal Mail sorting office building eventually chosen as new University city campus

[whole diary]

[Chris from Nailsea]

From South West Business:

David Wood, RMTU, Bristol: Derelict Mail building gives terrible first impression

It looks likely that the future of the derelict Royal Mail building next to Temple Meads station could be decided once and for all in a few months.

I find it incredible that for 15 years this building has stood untouched and allowed to fall into disrepair. It looks like something from a war zone.

Having worked on the railway for almost 34 years and regularly worked on the track in and around Temple Meads I can remember when the Royal Mail building was a hive of activity. But these days what remains of the building looks appalling.

Passengers on High Speed Trains to and from Paddington get a first-hand view of this run-down shell, because First Great Western 125s use the platforms which are closest to the old sorting office. Platform 13 is a terminus platform and used by most trains from Paddington. Platform 15 is used by most trains also from Paddington that continue westwards to Weston-super-Mare and beyond.

People aboard get an unenviable close-up of this eye-sore. What message is this sending out to people about the image of Bristol? What ever happened to the saying ^Ship-shape and Bristol fashion^?

Added to which Bristol is the green capital of Europe in 2015. Not that many years ago Temple Meads was nick-named Temple Weeds because of all the neglected vegetation allowed to grow at the track-side.

These days the railway is a magnet for graffiti artists. From Doctor Day^s Junction about a quarter of a mile from Temple Meads to Lawrence Hill station in the cutting supported by retaining walls. It reminds me of American television programmes where you see graffiti plastered everywhere just like in the Bronx, New York.

Hundreds of millions of pounds is going to be pumped into redeveloping Temple Meads station. That^s wonderful news. And if the old Cattle Market Road sorting office is demolished that will make the entire area look better.

But we must not neglect what is on the rails. Our local lines are currently served by dated, hand-me-down trains sent to us from other areas of the country that have new trains.

It is quite obvious to me great strides of improvement need to be made to our local railways, that over the years have suffered from a chronic lack of investment. Sadly we continue to suffer the consequences.

Meanwhile the privatised railway has brought us: The highest fares in Europe, staff cuts, a complex fare structure and overcrowded trains.

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the Bristol Post:

Competition to design new Bristol arena


Bristol arena aerial view

The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA^» (Royal Institute of British Architects - about)) Competitions and Bristol City Council have announced an international competition to design the city's new arena.

It is anticipated the arena, to be located on the former diesel depot site close to Temple Meads railway station, will open in 2017.

Multi-disciplinary teams will have the opportunity to design the 12,000 capacity entertainment venue.

Bristol's mayor George Ferguson said: "We have to grasp the opportunity to design a building that not only works really effectively but is an inspiring place that enriches this new quarter of the city. I want the Bristol Arena to become the arena of choice for performers, as well as offering an excellent visitor experience. As an architect I recognise that the design of the building is critical in achieving this."

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the Bristol Post:

Fears for Bristol's long-awaited arena after questions raised about financing


An early illustration of how the new Bristol Arena could look

A ^10 million "black hole" has emerged in the budget for Bristol's arena, it has been claimed. Concerns centre on how much money can be raised towards the cost of the ^90 million project from car parking.

A new report shows parking facilities at the 12,000-capacity venue hang in the balance, as an adequate site is yet to be found. The report also shows that costs for a proposed 1,000-space car park have spiralled, while predicted revenue has fallen.

The city's Liberal Democrats say the report has uncovered a "black hole" in the scheme's finances.

There is already mounting pressure on parking around the Arena Island area due to the predicted growth of the Temple Quarter Enterprise Zone.

The council needs to balance the arena's budget before building the venue, which is due to open in 2017.

City mayor George Ferguson said steps were being taken to address the gap and rejected the Lib Dems' claims, saying: "It is irresponsible nonsense to talk of a 'black hole'."

The mayor has made it one of his key targets to create a much-needed venue for the city.

Former Lib Dem leader Tim Kent had accused the mayor of "taking his eye off the finances", warning the city that it "cannot blindly walk into this project with millions of pounds missing".

Car parking facilities were written in to the budget for the multi-purpose venue last October. Initially it was estimated that about ^1.5 million of revenue per year would be made from parking fees from events and use of the car park during the day by commuters.

But a review has seen the council revise the figures. A multi-storey car park is now seen as too expensive, while even a surface-level car park may not be used for commuter parking ^ as it is "against planning policy", the review said.

Councillors discussing the report at a scrutiny meeting also raised concerns about ^53 million of funding coming from the government's City Deal scheme. The money would be borrowed and will depend on the growth of the enterprise zone.

Mr Kent, a ward councillor for Whitchurch Park who sits on the council's Business Change and Resources Scrutiny Commission, said: "I have a real concern that the budget is spiralling out of control. These things don't come for free but the mayor cannot expect the residents of Bristol to write a blank cheque. He's talking big ideas but taken his eye off the finances. We need a business plan that adds up and that is affordable for the city. The shortfall in the council's finances will have an effect on the future of the arena. We cannot blindly walk into this project with millions of pounds missing. The figures must add up and we need to make sure the funding is in place."

More reports have been ordered looking to find a solution.

Bristol mayor George Ferguson said: "The ^90 million-plus project budget for the arena is based on a business case report but, as with all large projects, it is inevitable that there will be variances as we test some of the assumptions made in that report... However it must be understood that this is a long term investment that will break even over the 25-year life of the project and will deliver millions of pounds of investment to the city region. It is irresponsible nonsense to talk of a ^black hole^. The arena has been a long-held aspiration for the city that we are now well on the way to delivering. We are taking the necessary steps to address any potential gaps in funding whilst remaining completely committed to delivering this vitally important venue, that is a major catalyst for the regeneration of the enterprise zone and the wider city region.^

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

Council handed land for Bristol Arena by the government


The arena will be located on the former diesel depot site next to Bristol Temple Meads railway station and is set to open in 2017

Bristol's ^91m entertainment arena has taken another step forward after the land for the site was formally handed over to the city council.

The agreement will also see ^5.4m of government funding to the city to help develop other sites within the Temple Quarter Enterprise Zone.

Bristol's mayor George Ferguson described the deal as a "vital step".

Earlier this month Populous was chosen to build the 12,000-seat venue which is due to open in 2017.

The company which is behind the London Olympic Stadium and the O2 arenas in London, Berlin and Dublin, was chosen from a shortlist of five.

The arena will be located on the former diesel depot site next to Bristol Temple Meads railway station.

The site was previously owned by the government's Homes and Communities Agency, which makes homes and business premises available to communities, and is part of a wider transfer of about ^300m of land.

[JayMac]

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

Bristol 'eyesore' sorting office site bought by council



Bristol City Council has bought an eyesore site in the city centre, which it says will be key to one of the UK^▸ (United Kingdom)'s largest urban regeneration projects.

The former sorting office site has been derelict for more than 17 years.

The mayor said the site presented an "awful arrival" for people coming in to Temple Meads station and buying it was vital to transforming the area.

The Taxpayers' Alliance has criticised Bristol's "extraordinary" commercial property portfolio.

The acquisition of the 2.1 hectare (5.2 acre) former Royal Mail site, close to the planned ^91m arena, is seen as a key site in the Bristol Temple Enterprise Zone.

Bristol Mayor George Ferguson told BBC Bristol it had cost "under ^6m" and marked a "real step change" in the transformation of the area behind Temple Meads station.

"It's been one of my main aims to deal with this terrible eyesore, this awful arrival to Bristol. When you're entering a wonderful city like Bristol from London on the Great Western Railway, you expect a much better arrival."

The Taxpayers' Alliance, which campaigns for lower taxes, says the council owns buildings housing a nightclub, 25 restaurants, 22 farms and 198 shops, following a Freedom of Information request.

Spokesman Tim Newark said: "It seems ridiculous at a time when Bristol City Council is pleading poverty and putting up Council Tax that it is sitting on commercial property assets worth hundreds of millions of pounds."

Mr Ferguson said property was "a very important part of our holdings and that actually enables us to keep the taxes lower than they might otherwise be".

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

No 'expensive' new car park for Bristol Arena


The council estimates there will be about 20 "full-capacity" events per year

Plans for a new ^91m entertainment arena being built in Bristol will not include an "expensive" dedicated car park, the council has said.

Two planning applications for the Bristol Arena, a 12,000-seat venue set to open in 2017 near Temple Meads, are to be submitted next month.

People living nearby raised concerns about parking but the council said city centre car parks had "spare capacity, within a 20 minute walk of the arena".

A consultation closes on 13 October.

Paul Breedon lives in nearby Totterdown and runs community magazine South Bristol Voice. He said he was not against the arena, but when he had asked local people about their concerns, they replied "parking, parking, parking". "Some of the closest places you will be able to park on the street are in Totterdown and the worry is that there's no plan at the moment," Mr Breedon said.

Peter Mann, of Bristol City Council, said: "Building a car park next to the arena will send all the wrong messages about the sustainability of it. So using public transport, cycling and walking and investing in that side of it, rather than building an expensive car park."

Mayor George Ferguson said parking for disabled people and operators would be provided but visitors would be "encouraged to travel to the venue sustainably". He said: "Of course, I absolutely respect that Totterdown have got parking pressure and I've had a lot of people from Totterdown already, because of commuter parking, saying we should have a residents' parking scheme, and we might do that.

"This is for the end of 2017, early 2018, by which time we'll have the Metrobus and have made arrangements with Great Western for additional trains for major events.

"This is not a parking story, it's a story about fantastic regeneration for Bristol."

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the Bristol Post:

Bristol will need to adapt to an arena


Arena would change Bristol traffic

Commuters in Bristol are being warned to expect a period of adjustment when the city's new arena opens. Craig Jones writes for What's On.

Tim Banfield, commercial director of The ACC Liverpool Group, which oversees Liverpool's Echo Arena, said it'll take some time for a flow to emerge.

Bristol's venue is expected to have a 12,000 capacity, like its Liverpool counterpart, although on-site parking will differ significantly.

Here there is expected to be 245 car parking spaces while in Liverpool the venue has 1,600 spaces.

Mr Banfield said: "My personal view is having a car park on site is a massive asset, especially during the winter, and it can also suit different event requirements. Having a car park was always part of the plan for us but that was because it was cost effective and we already had the land to work with. This isn't always the case in some locations."

He said it is essential that arenas work with their city's highways teams to ensure traffic around the venues runs as smoothly as possible.

Mr Banfield said: "After a period of time a balance emerges with people parking on-site, elsewhere in the city centre or getting public transport. After a period of time everything finds a level."

SMG Europe, which oversees arenas in Manchester, Leeds and Newcastle, is the preferred bidder for the Bristol project and they are optimistic it will be a success.

John Sharkey, SMG Europe's executive vice president of European operations, said: "Working alongside our partners Live Nation we'll ensure Bristol Arena becomes the world class entertainment venue the city deserves. With Bristol's rich musical heritage, and a passionate audience across the South West, we're looking forward to adding Bristol Arena to the map of must-play destinations for international acts."

The arena is expected to open near Temple Meads station in the next four years.

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

Temporary Bristol move for Parliament 'too expensive'


The design for the new parliament shows a hill that visitors "are invited to scale" and "look down into the speaker's theatre"

A proposal to move Parliament to Bristol while the Palace of Westminster is refurbished has been dismissed by an MP^▸ (Member of Parliament).

North East Somerset MP Jacob Rees-Mogg - who sits on the committee reviewing the future of the 150-year-old building - said the idea is too expensive.

He said finding a temporary London home for MPs with offices in the Palace of Westminster would be cheaper.

A design firm floated the idea to provoke debate around devolved power.


The former Royal Mail sorting offices have been derelict for 17 years

Christophe Egret of Studio Egret West, the firm behind the proposal, said: "It has been done to try to make people think about not investing all power in London and divesting it around the country."

The proposal would see the former Royal Mail sorting office behind Temple Meads railway station transformed into a new parliament.

The derelict building has been described by the Mayor of Bristol George Ferguson as something that "shames and embarrasses Bristol".

On a visit to the city, Prime Minister David Cameron said it looked like "a war zone".

The design for the new parliament shows a hill that visitors "are invited to scale" and "look down into the speakers' theatre".

A recent report suggested the cost of restoring Palace of Westminster without finding a new home for resident MPs and peers would cost ^5.7bn and take 32 years.

The Palace of Westminster only has enough office space for about a third of all MPs.

Mr Rees-Mogg said: "Parliament needs to be where the government is. The new home would have to be near, otherwise you'd have to move all 650 MPs and that's a much bigger and more expensive undertaking."

[TonyK]

Shame, really. If they had taken the bait, central government would have paid to convert the biggest eyesore in the city into a vastly overpriced thing of beauty.

[Western Pathfinder]

The sooner that eyesore is reduced to rubble the better for everyone  IMHO^▸ (in my humble opinion) .

[Chris from Nailsea]

Hmm. 

The passing of time, the great healer, has made a fairly good start to that process, over the past 17 years. 

[JayMac]

Stick the 650 in the building as it is. Austerity and all that. We're all in it together, as our elected representatives have been keen to tell us.

Unless we have Daddy's money squirrelled away offshore that is.

[Chris from Nailsea]

That is not to be taken as a criticism of any squirrels who may be members of this forum, obviously. 

[TonyK]

Stick the 650 in the building as it is. Austerity and all that. We're all in it together, as our elected representatives have been keen to tell us.

Us, the bankers, and the multi-millionaires in the cabinet...

[JayMac]

David Mitchell, writing in The Observer:

Who^d want to be an MP^▸ (Member of Parliament) in a sorting office in Bristol?

The Palace of Westminster is practically falling down. It^s riddled with leaks and infested with vermin. Whole toxic sections urgently need to be removed for everyone^s good. After decades of poor planning and quick, botched fixes, it^s badly decayed and it^s going to cost a fortune to put things right.

I expect your leaden-analogy alarm has already gone off. Lots of people are absolutely thrilled with the old palace^s decrepitude as a metaphor for ^our broken politics^. Do you know what I think is a really good metaphor for the state of Britain today? It^s people enjoying that metaphor. It^s the tedious satisfaction they derive from likening one building^s need of repair to the decline in public trust suffered by the political system for which it houses key functions; the inwardly delighted wry shake of the head at that slow-news-week-political-cartoon quantity of wit and insight. Honestly, it makes me want to join Isis.

The fact remains, however, that coincident with this phase of widespread disappointment with our government and legislators, the structure in which their business is transacted has started to crumble. The stonework has badly eroded, the heating and plumbing keep breaking down and apparently not a single one of the 3,800 windows closes properly ^ which, in terms of sheer consistency, is analogous to absolutely nothing else in our political culture.

The public could stare down at them having their rows like angry hobbits in a special arguing burrow
The obvious solution to this problem ^ just letting the building gradually fall in on them all ^ has been rejected on the basis that it would ^reward poor parliamentary attendance^. So a consensus has emerged that the palace needs to be restored. Of course that^s not to say there^s a consensus that it should continue to house parliament ^ some argue that its Victorian public school/gentlemen^s club vibe is so inappropriate to a modern democracy that it should be turned into a museum. But I suspect even those people think it should be a structurally sound museum.

So it^s going to be repaired, and it^s almost certainly not going to be turned into a museum ^ partly because that would necessitate building a whole other giant palace for the Houses of Parliament, with all the ill-fitting windows, enormous digital clock towers and statues of Tony Blair that that would entail; and partly because saying ^The Palace of Westminster should be turned into a museum!^ is such a big part of the identity and cocktail-party-opening-gambit technique of the idea^s adherents that actually turning the place into a museum would leave a gaping hole in their lives, which social services would then struggle to fill.

But doing the place up, I^m afraid to say, is going to be expensive ^ a report last June estimated it would cost ^5.7bn, and that figure is set to double when it turns out they were just guessing. Alternatively, and this is where it gets interesting (nearly halfway through, this week ^ I swear I^m getting worse), it could be slashed to a piffling ^3.5bn if the parliamentarians agree to fully vacate the place for six years. Basically, it^s a lot cheaper to renovate without loads of politicians obstructing proceedings. The politicians just get in the way of people trying to do their jobs and make things better. Has that alarm gone off again?

So where would they move to? George Ferguson, who^s the mayor of Bristol, has a proposal: Bristol. There^s a derelict Royal Mail sorting office round the back of the station that he says would be perfect. Architectural firm Studio Egret West proposes to transform it into a sort of hill which members of the public could climb and then stare down at the politicians having their rows like angry hobbits in a special arguing burrow. Except they won^t be having rows because ^the debating chamber, inspired by the idea of a clearing in the woods, encourages a less combative approach to government business with opportunities for better cross-party cooperation^. Much more like elves then. Lovely.

I^m slightly sceptical of the view that sitting our MPs in a different arrangement will make their deliberations more constructive. It^s usually put forward by those who dismiss the shouty House of Commons as medieval and pantomimic. It has definitely become a bit of a parody of its former self, which is a shame, but I^m not sure that having our politicians yell and hurl abuse at each other in public isn^t, for a repressed nation such as ours, rather a healthy convention. It^s the vestigial remains of something honest and, as such, is one of the few elements of contemporary politics that I^d say was worth preserving.

It^s not as if an assembly of hundreds of people can ever have particularly detailed discussions anyway. It^s got to be fairly binary: do we agree with Thing A or not. So I don^t see that the shouting of ^Hear hear!^ or ^Shame!^ is any less effective than those beige semicircles of desks and microphones that other countries seem to favour. And it^s definitely more interesting.

My reservations about the woodland clearing approach to parliamentary debate aside, these plans look quite fun. There are some nice dynamic drawings online, promising restaurants and cafes as well as committee rooms and a library. There^s even a ^tranquil space^, right by the railway line ^ which suggests that, for all the blue-sky thinking, they^re not holding out much hope that the train service is going to improve.

But the sad thing about this idea is that, charming though that derelict sorting office covered in turf might be, getting to hang out in the Palace of Westminster is MPs^ last remaining perk. Once high-status pillars of the community, the nation^s representatives have seldom been held in lower regard ^ and the internet is there to bring all that negativity relentlessly to bear. But they still have their massive neogothic palace to run around in, drinking cheap booze and shouting at each other on television. It^s like a wonderful cross between Hogwarts and the Big Brother house.

So can you imagine what a slap in the face from history it would feel like if, as a newly elected MP in 2020, you realised you weren^t even going to get that? You were going to get all the abuse and disdain, the endless scrutiny of personal financial details and property arrangements, the daily grind of trying to court the lobbyist^s dime while persuading international corporations to close their factories in other people^s constituencies first, but without messing around in a magical castle. It would be like working for Disneyland, but in the complaints department.