Finzels Reach

The site in 2006

Finzels Reach is a 4.7-acre (1.9 ha) mixed use development site located in central Bristol, England, on a former industrial site,[1] which occupies most of the south bank of Bristol Floating Harbour between Bristol Bridge and St Philip's Bridge, across the river from Castle Park.

A sugar refinery occupied part of the site from 1681, rebuilt by Conrad Finzel I in 1846 to become one of the largest sugar refineries in England. Known as Finzel's Sugar Refinery, it operated until 1881. Georges Bristol Brewery, founded in 1788, grew to occupy most of the site by the mid 20th century, when it was the largest brewery in southwest England. Known after 1961 as the Courage Brewery, it operated until 1991. The site also includes the former Tramway Generating Station, a Grade II* listed building built in 1899 which operated as the power station for Bristol Tramways until 1941.

Development plans were approved in 2006, but work was halted in 2011 due to financial issues with the developer, HDG Mansur,[2] following the 2008 recession and the site was subsequently put on the market in 2013, after the company went into receivership.[3] The development was revived when the developer, Cubex, bought the site in 2014.[4]

History

Sugar refinery

The original Counterslip Sugar House was founded in 1681, in the northeast part of the site. German-born Conrad Finzel I (1793–1859) acquired the refinery in 1839. After it burnt down in 1846 he rebuilt it, at a cost of £250,000. Finzel's Sugar Refinery, one of the largest in England, employed over 700 workers. After Finzel's death in 1859, his family including Conrad Finzel II (1818–1903) kept Finzel & Sons going until 1877. A group of local businessmen briefly took over the refinery, but finally closed ‌it in 1881.[5]

Brewery

Brewing originated at the western end of the site, where in 1788 the Porter Brewery on Bath Street was acquired by a consortium which became the Philip George Bristol Porter and Beer Company. In 1796 the company built a pale ale brewery next to the porter one. In 1861 the company became Georges and Company, and became a public company in 1888. By the early 20th century the Georges Bristol Brewery employed around 170 workers. In 1919 and 1924 more land along Bath Street and Counterslip Street was acquired and by 1933 the brewery developed into a 3-acre (1.2 ha) complex, the largest brewery in south west England. After absorbing its local rivals, the company became the dominant brewer in Bristol, but in 1961 it was taken over by Courage, Barclay & Simonds and was renamed Courage (Western). After Courage itself subsequently passed through various owners, the brewery was closed in October 1991 by Scottish & Newcastle.[6]

Generating station

The generating station in 2015

The generating station is at the eastern end of the site, next to St Philip's Bridge. It was built in 1899 for the Bristol Tramways and Carriage Company by the architect William Curtis Green.[7] The eventual demise of Bristol's tramways came on Good Friday 1941 during the Bristol Blitz, when bombs falling on St Philip's Bridge cut the power to the whole tramway system.[8] The generating station was subsequently converted into offices. It is a Grade II* listed building.[7]

Development

A view of the development in 2015

The £250 million development includes a new footbridge over the Floating Harbour,[9] 168 bed hotel, 420 apartments, offices, shops, restaurants and bars.[10] The previous design for a footbridge had a different alignment and had planning permission given as part of the original Finzels Reach development. A new design was submitted by Finzels Reach Property LLP for a curved pedestrian and cycle bridge which were approved in March 2015 and will link Castle Park to Finzels Reach when it is completed in 2016.[11] The bridge will have a height difference of 7.2 metres (24 ft) between the Castle Park end and the Finzels Reach site.[12] In November 2014, a deal was signed between Cubex and Palmer Capital with Premier Inn for a 168 bedroom hotel located in the southern part of the site.[13] In May 2016, planning consent was granted by Bristol City Council for an 11-storey apartment block located in Hawkins Lane and another apartment building located on the north east corner of the site along the Floating Harbour. The two buildings will contain 194 one and two bedroom apartments and will be the final phase of residential development on the site.[14]

Bridgewater House

Completed in 2013,[15] Bridgewater House is an Grade A BREEAM excellent rated office building located in the southern part of the Finzels Reach site.[16] [17] As of Spring 2016, the 115,000 square feet (10,700 m2) office building is let to Barclays Wealth, BDO and EDF Energy [18]

Aurora

In September 2015, planning permission was given by Bristol City Council to build a seven storey 95,000 square feet (8,800 m2) Grade A office building called Aurora. In late 2015, Willmott Dixon was announced as the preferred bidder to construct the Aurora office building and construction is expected to start in 2016.[19]

Generator House

The former Tramways Generating Station will be renovated to turn it into 30 studio flats, under the name Generator House.[20]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Aurora, Finzels Reach, Bristol". Hydrock. Retrieved 6 May 2016.
  2. ↑ "Bristol hotel deal signed". Palmer Capital. 7 November 2014. Retrieved 6 May 2016.
  3. ↑ "Bristol Finzels Reach project in receivership". BBC News. 25 April 2013. Retrieved 7 May 2016.
  4. ↑ "Fear that Finzel's Reach bridge will scupper Bristol rowers". Brsitol Post. 24 March 2015. Retrieved 6 May 2016.
  5. ↑ Jones, Donald (1996). Bristol's Sugar Trade and Refining Industry. Bristol: Bristol Branch of the Historical Association. pp. 10–22. ISBN 0-901388-78-5.
  6. ↑ Penny, John (2005). Bristol at Work. Derby: Breedon Books. pp. 95–101. ISBN 1-85983-355-1.
  7. 1 2 Historic England. "Former Tramway Generating Station (1282287)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 5 July 2016.
  8. ↑ Davey, Peter (1995). Bristol's Tramways. Midhurst: Middleton Press. p. 5. ISBN 1-873793-57-X.
  9. ↑ "Finzels Reach bridge plans approved despite concerns". BBC. Retrieved 7 May 2016.
  10. ↑ "Bristol's Finzels Reach development boosted by bridge approval". Big Hospitality. 20 March 2015. Retrieved 6 May 2016.
  11. ↑ "New bridge over Floating Harbour in Bristol City Centre gets the go ahead". Bristol Post. 19 March 2015. Retrieved 6 May 2016.
  12. ↑ "Finzels Bridge approved". Bristol 24/7. 18 March 2015.
  13. ↑ "Bristol hotel deal signed". Property Week. 7 November 2014. Retrieved 27 May 2016.
  14. ↑ "Further development at Finzels Reach". Cubex Land. 11 May 2016. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
  15. ↑ "Bridgewater House". Stride Treglown. Retrieved 20 May 2016.
  16. ↑ "Future Phases Masterplan". Finzels Reach. Retrieved 20 May 2016.
  17. ↑ "Specification". Bridgewater House Bristol. Retrieved 20 May 2016.
  18. ↑ "Bridgewater House sale completes". Finzels Reach. 12 April 2016.
  19. ↑ "Willmott Dixon wins £24m Bristol office job". Construction Enquirer. December 2015.
  20. ↑ "From generation to regeneration". Bristol Post. 10 February 2014. Retrieved 27 May 2016.
  21. ↑ Historic England. "St Brandon's School for Girls (1129704)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 5 July 2016.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Finzels Reach.

Coordinates: 51°27′14″N 2°35′20″W / 51.454°N 2.589°W / 51.454; -2.589

www.aurora-bristol.com

www.twitter.com/cubexland

www.twitter.com/finzelsreach

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/16/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.