Purpose

In April 2022, £94.7 million of external
Brownfield Infrastructure Land (BIL) grant funding was awarded to
support projects in the first phase of the Temple Quarter
regeneration programme. The Southern Gateway and related
infrastructure items were included as part of the grant funding
bid.
In April 2023, the Council entered into a contract with its Capital
Strategic Partner, Arcadis—working in partnership with Mott
MacDonald and ARUP—to provide professional services for the
design of the Northern Entrance and the new Southern Gateway at
Bristol Temple Meads Station. This commission covers RIBA Stages 2
and 3 at a total cost of £3,241,899.
Since September 2024, the Stage 3 design for the Southern Gateway
has been in development, incorporating consultation with a range of
stakeholders in preparation for a planning application, currently
anticipated for submission in June 2025. During this process,
several additional design requirements have emerged that were not
originally anticipated but are now necessary to meet stakeholder
expectations, secure relevant consents, and prepare tender
documentation for subsequent project stages. These include:
Gate Line Modification:
A feasibility study has explored options for relocating the gate
line to enhance connectivity between the Southern Gateway and the
station platforms. One feasible and deliverable option has been
identified. This modification is now considered essential to reduce
risk in the Network Rail (NR) regulatory consent process, following
feedback from rail industry stakeholders including Train Operating
Companies and union representatives. It also addresses public
feedback requesting more direct access to platforms from the
Southern Gateway. As a result, the Strategic Partner's scope must
be expanded to include additional design work related to the ticket
gate line modification to finalise the Stage 3 design.
Change in Infrastructure Operator and Design Outputs:
At the start of Stage 3, ownership of the Southern Gateway
infrastructure had not been determined, and the Strategic
Partner’s scope was based on standard RIBA Stage 3
deliverables. It is now confirmed that Network Rail will adopt all
Southern Gateway infrastructure. Consequently, NR has requested
that its processes be followed so they can appropriately assess and
take ownership of the future assets. This requires a change in the
project outputs from standard RIBA Stage 3 documentation to Network
Rail's Approval in Principle (AiP) documentation. The Strategic
Partner must therefore expand its scope to include the necessary
documentation to meet NR's approval requirements and complete the
Southern Gateway design accordingly.
Miscellaneous additional scopes to Strategic Partner
To respond the requirements, there will be other potential
additional scopes for Strategic Partner to undertake:
1.Additional time to liaise and respond the comment from Local
Planning Authority during pre-application and planning
application.
2.Additional demolition support in demolition consenting for the
former Kiwi-Fit building
3.Planning post-submission support
4.VuCity License
5.Foundation Works Risk Assessment
6.Habitat Management

Content

Approval is given to uplift the contract value
by £432,768.89 to the existing agreement with the
Council’s Capital Strategic Partner, Arcadis (in partnership
with Mott MacDonald and ARUP), for the provision of professional
services related to the design of the Southern Gateway at Bristol
Temple Meads Station for RIBA Stage 3. This is in addition to the
original contract value of £3,241,899.
In parallel, an uplift of £65,059 is also required for the
Basic Asset Protection Agreement (BAPA) with Network Rail to ensure
continued support in completing RIBA Stage 3.
The total additional funding required is £497,863.89, which
will be fully covered by the external Brownfield Investment Land
(BIL) grant funding.

Alternative options considered

Alternative procurement routes for the
additional scope—such as establishing a new contract between
the Strategic Partner and either the Bristol Temple Quarter Limited
Liability Partnership (BTQ LLP) or the West of England Mayoral
Combined Authority (MCA)—have been considered. However, the
additional work is an extension of and closely interlinked with the
current services being delivered under the existing Strategic
Partner framework contract. These scopes also overlap in programme
with existing contracted activities. Introducing a separate
contracting arrangement at this stage would introduce complexity in
terms of liability management, require extensive legal review, and
increase project management overhead. It is therefore considered
more efficient and appropriate to vary the existing contract to
accommodate the additional work.