The development will massively change how people travel to and from the station
The Southern Gateway will include a large carpark and bicycle hub(Image: Bristol Temple Quarter LLP)
Plans to build a huge new multi-storey car park just south of Temple Meads station have been submitted to Bristol City Council. The 379-space car park will be the centrepiece of the “Southern Gateway”, a development which will include a standalone cycle storage hub with room for over 530 bikes, new bus stops and improvements to the Bath Road cycle path and walkway.
The Southern Gateway will be built on the site on Bath Road immediately south of the River Avon from Temple Meads, most recently occupied by a Kwik Fit which closed in 2023. It is scheduled to open in 2028.
Alongside the transport hub, Network Rail will convert an existing railway track into a pedestrian walkway over the River Avon to improve access to and from the station for people in South Bristol. The car park will also include a new drop off and pick up area for cars, offering an alternative to Station Approach.
Tony Dyer, Leader of Bristol City Council, said, “The Southern Gateway is more than just a modern, high-quality transport hub, it is essential for the ongoing transformation of the long-neglected area around Bristol Temple Meads station. I’m thrilled to see our plans make it this far and I’m looking forward to seeing construction start.”
The transport hub is to be built on the site of a former Kwik Fit on Bath Road(Image: Bristol Temple Quarter LLP)
The Southern Gateway development is part of the Bristol Temple Quarter (BTQ) programme, a joint venture between Homes England, Bristol City Council, the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority and Network Rail to transform the area around the station.
A new eastern entrance was completed in September 2024 but will remain closed until Autumn 2026 to coincide with the opening of the University of Bristol’s £500m Enterprise Campus on the site of the former Royal Mail sorting office.
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Marcus Jones, Western Route Director at Network Rail, said “When Brunel opened Bristol Temple Meads 185 years ago it was truly world-class with many innovations that are now commonplace at stations everywhere. The station is now going through a transformation to make it an icon once again.”
Network Rail said the purpose of the southern transport hub is to consolidate existing parking, found in many sites dotted around the station, into a single location. It will open up space to the north of the station at the Friary, Station Approach, and in the Grade I listed Midland Shed for new development, public spaces, and travel routes. The BTQ programme is aiming to deliver 10,000 new homes around the station.
A diagram outlining how vehicle and foot traffic could flow through the new hub(Image: Bristol Temple Quarter LLP)
The roof of Temple Meads station is also being refurbished, with four new or improved entrances being built as part of the programme. Karen Mercer, CEO of the BTQ partnership, said: “This is a really exciting moment for Bristol Temple Quarter. Southern Gateway is the first piece in the jigsaw to unlock the new homes, jobs and public spaces that the city needs.”
The work is part of a £95 million Government grant awarded in 2022 to regenerate the Temple Quarter area.