Bristol is an ever-evolving city, and we want to make sure that as the city changes, so too do the opportunities available to help people and communities flourish. We have some incredible innovators and forward-thinkers in our city whose enterprise creates jobs and delivers valuable returns for the local economy. We are an administration that supports local business and seeks opportunities to support inclusive and sustainable growth. This is why we’ve chosen to regenerate the site at 601 Whitchurch Lane, adjacent to Bottle Yard Studios, our Hollywood in Hengrove, and build Whitchurch Lane Enterprise Park.
The development will provide a hub for new and expanding South Bristol businesses, creating a dynamic space focused on enterprise and offering economic opportunities in the area. I recently visited the site and met the construction team from Bray and Slaughter, a local contractor, to find out more about what how the site will look when it’s completed this summer.
Whitchurch Lane Enterprise Park will comprise of 14 light industrial units, which are due to be available to lease from summer 2023. It will provide key sectors of the South Bristol economy – such as construction, creative and media, engineering and small manufacturing – with modern and environmentally efficient workspaces. The West of England Growth Hub will offer support to businesses taking out leases on the new units, helping them to innovate, grow and thrive.
We want to support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) at crucial stages of their development, whether this be from the very beginning or when a business is ready to ‘grow on’ and increase its output. We have identified that there is a shortage of available sites for SMEs in Bristol, particularly regarding the availability of modern premises, in accessible areas, to meet current demand. The site at Whitchurch Lane offers close proximity to Metrobus bus stops and cycling routes. By encouraging SME businesses to grow at Whitchurch Lane Enterprise Park, we will help to create new jobs in a location next to some of the most socio-economically disadvantaged communities in the region. It is also close to the major new housing development at Hengrove Park. This development is in addition to the 2,563 new homes we built in Bristol last year, including 474 affordable, exceeding my manifesto pledge of building 2,000 new homes a year.
We are working in partnership with the West of England Combined Authority to complete the project at Whitchurch Lane, and they are part-funding the work with a grant of £5.17million. The European Regional Development Fund are also part-funding the project, providing a grant of £1.4million as part of the European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme 2014-2020. Together with this investment and support, we will strengthen South Bristol’s economy and help local businesses to thrive.
Sustainability certification
The project is working towards achieving BREEAM excellent certification through incorporation of a range of sustainability measures, including an energy efficient building fabric, natural ventilation, installation of solar panels and infrastructure for installation of electric vehicle charging points.
Want to know more?
We have appointed Hartnell Taylor Cook to market and let the new units. Interested parties can visit www.whitchurchlaneenterprisepark.co.uk for details of the units and contact information.