Silverthorne Lane could become "Bristol's King's Cross"
The £500 million, 12-acre mixed-use development now taking shape at Silverthorne Lane could become “Bristol’s King’s Cross”.
That is the message from property developer StudioHIVE, which is delivering several key elements of the brownfield regeneration site near Bristol Temple Meads station, in the heart of the city’s Temple Quarter Enterprise Zone (TQEZ).
The Silverthorne Lane scheme includes:
Oasis Academy Temple Quarter – a new 1,600 place comprehensive secondary school and sixth form
New academic and office space for the University of Bristol at the Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus
New cycle and pedestrian routes within landscaped areas and public open space, including a new canalside walk
Within the scheme StudioHIVE is delivering 434 new build to rent homes plus workspace in The Iron Works, in partnership with Atlas Land Ltd. and Singapore-based construction and civil engineering specialist, Woh Hup.
StudioHIVE Architects has also designed around 86,000 sq ft of new office space for sister company StudioHIVE within St. Vincent Works, a Grade II listed building formerly occupied by Aardman Animations.
And at The Timber Yard, StudioHIVE is providing a 706-bed student accommodation scheme on the banks of the Feeder Canal, in conjunction with the same partners.
James Howard, development director at Bristol-based StudioHIVE, says the regeneration of former industrial land in and around Silverthorne Lane will be “transformational.”
He compares it to the massive redevelopment of the formerly run-down King’s Cross district of London over the past 20 years, which has brought new homes, shops, offices, galleries, bars, restaurants, schools and a university to the area.
“This site has been completely off-limits for 200 years so this is transformational,” says James Howard.
“Take the Feeder Canal – this has always been overlooked but it is a waterfront that needs to be embraced, and this is now finally happening.
“Temple Quarter Enterprise Zone was established in 2012 but it really gained momentum with the announcement of the new University of Bristol campus, which opens this September. This will begin the transformation of Silverthorne Lane into what is being touted as ‘Bristol’s King’s Cross.’”
StudioHIVE’s managing director Jason Collard says he is optimistic about the outlook for the property sector in Bristol and the South West in 2026 and beyond, despite ongoing challenges including Gateway 2, a stringent set of new guidelines affecting “high risk buildings” introduced under the Building Safety Act.
“There are several stalled sites across Bristol,” said Jason Collard.
“Development metrics have become more complex, we’ve had the challenges brought by the Gateway 2 process, cost increases and the lack of a fluid funding market. This is why, when coupled with constrained economic conditions, projects have stalled due to viability.
“It is difficult to take projects forward without having access to progressive partners and funders, as we do at StudioHIVE. Despite the numerous hurdles we’ve faced as a sector in recent years we have to be cautiously optimistic about the market and the prospects for growth, as interest rates begin to come down this year.”
