This year is our 29th tour of Bristol’s commercial market, and the city remains as vibrant and active as ever – but, like many major UK centres, it continues to navigate economic uncertainty and an increasingly unpredictable global landscape.
This year’s theme is “Groundbreaking”, and it’s a fitting one. Bristol has always risen to a challenge and on this year’s tour we will see some of the latest innovations in the market and the regeneration of core locations that see the city continue to evolve and thrive. From EDF’s letting of a new National HQ giving Bristol a firm foothold in the UK’s expanding nuclear power sector, to major employers including Rolls-Royce, Airbus and the MOD driving significant demand across North Bristol, not to mention the monumental changes at Brabazon (the star of our brochure’s front cover) this has been a year of genuine momentum across the city.
Bristol has proved the resilience of its commercial market with nationally significant transactions taking place in the logistics, office and retail markets cementing the cities place as one of the key national city regions outside London. This is rapidly galvanising local politics and with the likely increase in its powers, the West of England Combined Authority is one to watch as they gradually look to trigger wide scale development in the city and unify investment across county boundaries.
The big story for the city centre this year is the opening of Bristol Universities Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus and the formation of the Temple Quarter Enterprise Zone drawing investment and renewed energy into the areas around Temple Meads and St Philips with highly successful office development already in place and generating record rents alongside the influx of students to the many new accommodation blocks springing up around the campus. Momentum looks to be building here and we will see the enormous steps already taken from the water on this years boat tour.
Out of town, we’re really excited to take a drive through the newly opened Runway Drive at Brabazon and see the great progress they have made on site with the delivery of new phases of residential, leisure and student development. Although slower than previous years, the industrial market has continued to deliver exciting new letting and development activity including binging new occupiers and development to Aztec West which we will see on our tour.
We hope that you enjoy this year’s tour. As always, our aim is to give you a hands-on insight into the city’s cross sector appeal.
This year’s route:
