Raise your glassWork starts on £35m office block in city centre

ONE sure sign of a healthy and thriving economy is the site of cranes working away on the city's skyline. And yesterday a huge crane was being installed in the heart of Bristol's business district as work finally started on one of the biggest developments seen in the region since the start of the recession.

The £35 million office block is the largest speculative scheme in the country outside London and comes just weeks after construction work got under way on a similar but smaller building in Queen Square.

Work on the office block adjacent to Temple Meads station ground to a halt at the height of the recession when Castlemore, the property firm behind the project, went bust.

The administrators had no choice to press ahead with the half-built building which is now the headquarters of law firm Burges Salmon. But work on neighbouring property was put on hold until now due to the lack of demand from prospective tenants.

Experts say the fact that work has started once again is a show of faith in Bristol's economy and the fact it is poised to become one of the fastest-growing cities in the country.

There were hopes that the BBC would move from its Clifton headquarters into the area, but the signs are the organisation has opted to stay put.

The new, 100,000 sq ft building, which will be known as Two Glass Wharf and will overlook the Floating Harbour and Temple Meads station, is due to be completed in 12 months' time.

Owned by Salmon Developments and NFU Mutual, the eight-storey building will come with shops, bars and restaurants.

Rorie Henderson, a development director at Salmon, said: "Having announced our intention to start building speculatively, we put the contract out to tender in the summer and are delighted to have appointed Wates."

A large crane is now being installed and the skeleton of the new building will be built over the coming weeks. The basement of the building and a concrete base has already been built and the plan is to complete the work by autumn 2014.

Mr Henderson said: "We have acquired three adjacent sites over the last few years and this is the first phase of our development plans at Temple Quay."

The building is in the heart of the enterprise zone which has been set up to create a new business district and thousands of jobs in the process.

Bristol mayor George Ferguson said: "I am delighted to see work starting at Two Glass Wharf.

"This is great news for Bristol and a real vote of confidence by Salmon Harvester in Temple Quarter Enterprise Zone, attracted by its financial incentives and Bristol's growing economy.

"This is the first major speculative development within Temple Quarter, and a further demonstration that we have an attractive proposition for investors, offering a first-class location, great connectivity, a talented workforce and a major investment in infrastructure over the next few years.

"I look forward to this high-specification new building securing tenants and bringing more long-term jobs and investment to the city region."

Gary Campbell-Dykes, from building firm Wates Construction, said: "Two Glass Wharf is further evidence of the increasing investment in construction projects across the commercial sector."

Alder King has been appointed sole letting agent and is already in talks with firms looking to relocate to Bristol.

Meanwhile, developer Skanska has started work on a new office block in Queen Square.

This block is designed to house around 500 office workers.