Work has begun which will transform the view for passengers as they arrive at Temple Meads station in Bristol, with construction of a £50m student accommodation complex underway.
The former site of Chinese food wholesalers Chanson Foods will see purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) for a total of 447 students in two blocks up to 12 storeys high right next to the Avon Street railway bridge on the corner of the Floating Harbour and the mainline railway as it enters Temple Meads station from the east.
The PBSA complex is being built by GMI Construction and the whole project will cost £50m. The student digs will be managed by PBSA specialists Host, and will be the latest major student accommodation site around Temple Meads, as work on the new University of Bristol campus – on the opposite side of the water – continues. Eventually, thousands of students will live and study in the area just to the east of the station.
The work is expected to be completed in time for the start of the 2026 intake of students. Host’s development manager Keith Dean said there was a huge need for more student accommodation in Bristol. Earlier this year, Bristol Live revealed that was estimated by experts to be around 20,000, given the expansion of both universities and – despite the boom in PBSA buildings in Bristol city centre over the past ten years – the low starting point in student accommodation capacity in the city.
“Given the level of unmet demand from students currently unable to access PBSA in Bristol, the development of Avon Street is great news for the city,” said Mr Dean. “We are excited to realise the ambitious plans for Avon Street with GMI, which are focussed on combining the highest quality accommodation with an outstanding location to provide the best student living experience available in Bristol.”
It’s the first major project for GMI Construction – who normally operate in the Midlands and North of England – in the south west. Its Midlands regional director Adam Taylor said: “We are exceptionally proud to secure this major project with Host, which will deliver much needed, high-quality, additional student accommodation in the centre of Bristol.
“This project also strengthens GMI’s credentials in the construction of multi-occupancy developments, particularly in the student accommodation sector, and our expansion into new regions of the UK,” he added.
The PBSA development was given planning permission by city council planners back in the summer of 2022. The site is a couple of sites up Avon Street from Motion nightclub, which became the latest location to be earmarked for redevelopment after its owners announced they weren’t renewing Motion’s lease and were putting the site up for sale.