Looking at enterprise

Viability of the Bristol Temple Quarter Enterprise Zone has been improved by the inclusion of residential development.

That is the view of Gordon Isgrove of GVA, saying that the Enterprise Zone should look to Bristol’s Harbourside for inspiration on how to achieve a 24 hour city. Isgrove said: “The new Enterprise Zone has laid out a vision of being a hub for creative and digital industries. I should urge those planning the zone not to overlook the benefits of including an element of residential use to create truly mixed use and creative development.” In his view the success of the zone will not only be the number of jobs it creates but also the establishment of a sustainable city quarter where people want to live and work and prove an attraction to property investors over the long term.

The zone will play an important part in the growth of the city because it aims to create 17,000 jobs over a 25 year period, although some doubt has been cast on whether this can be achieved solely with creative and digital industries. That said, the letting of space in Bush House, one of the most prominent buildings in Bristol, to Yucca, a digital marketing agency, indicates a demand from that sector even if it has taken a small amount of space. Ben Martin of Yucca commented: “Bristol has been establishing itself in the past few years as a creative hub for the digital media.”