It has now been two years since Bristol Temple Quarter formally became a Limited Liability Partnership.
This meant the longstanding collaborative approach taken by partners Bristol City Council, Homes England, and the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority was officially formalised as a joint venture to accelerate delivery of phase 1 of the redevelopment around the station.
The creation of BTQ LLP marked an important milestone for the programme. It formalised years of prior collaboration and set the foundation for a new phase of delivery for one of the UK’s most ambitious regeneration programmes. The LLP model enables faster decision‑making, clearer governance, and a shared commitment to unlocking homes, jobs, and public spaces at pace, while retaining the democratic oversight needed to ensure the programme continues to serve the public interest and reflect the ambitions of Bristol’s communities.
The scale of the opportunity ahead of us is significant. The Temple Quarter programme aims to deliver around 10,000 new homes, thousands of jobs, and new infrastructure and public spaces across more than 135 hectares of central Bristol.
In the past 24 months, this opportunity has been matched by real progress. We have secured full planning consent for the Southern Gateway transport hub and appointed Kier as preferred contractor, launched the BTQ Community Fund and awarded its first round of grants, and selected Muse Places Ltd as preferred development partner.
A further important step in strengthening governance over the past year has been the recruitment of a new independent Chair and four new Non-Executive Directors to the BTQ LLP Board. These appointments bring a wealth of experience from across regeneration, infrastructure delivery, finance and community engagement, enhancing the Board’s ability to provide robust oversight, strategic challenge and informed decision-making. The addition of independent voices also reinforces the LLP’s commitment to transparency, accountability and best practice, ensuring that as the programme moves into a more delivery-focused phase, it continues to balance pace with strong governance and a clear focus on long-term public value.
A major focus during 2025 was the competitive tender process to select a private sector partner to help bring forward development at Temple Meads West and support the expansion of proposals for St Philip’s Marsh. Following a rigorous process, Muse Places was approved by the BTQ LLP Board in December 2025 as preferred development partner.
Since then, BTQ LLP and Muse have been working closely together to establish ways of working and progress the Master Collaboration Development Agreement ahead of an anticipated contract signing in spring 2026.
The Southern Gateway transport hub is central to unlocking the wider development opportunity 
at Temple Meads West, and the past year has seen major momentum build behind the project. A resolution to grant planning permission was secured in November 2025, followed by full planning consent in December. This allowed the team to move quickly into contractor procurement, and in March 2026 Kier was announced as preferred contractor. With works on site now imminent, this is a significant milestone for the wider programme.
Alongside this delivery progress, BTQ LLP has also focused on building the partnerships and shared commitments needed to support inclusive and sustainable growth.
In summer 2025, we launched the BTQ Charter, setting out a shared vision for inclusive and sustainable growth across Bristol Temple Quarter. The Charter is intended as a practical guide, helping partners align their efforts, contribute to shared priorities, and work together to deliver meaningful change for local communities.
To support this, a Charter Steering Group has now been formally established, bringing together public, private and community sector partners. Momentum continues to grow, with organisations including the West of England Combined Authority, PRD Consulting, Sirona, Soc
ket Consulting, Dandara and Start Advisory all committing to the Charter.
Another important step came in June 2025, when the Bristol Temple Quarter Community and Skills Hub opened its doors. The Hub provides an accessible space where people can find information about the regeneration programme, take part in engagement activity, and access construction skills training.
Since opening, the Hub has hosted around 192 meetings, sessions and activities. 32% of these have been free sessions led by local community groups, showing how the space is already being used as a local resource.
The BTQ Community Fund launched in October 2025, and £45,000 was awarded to 17 projects across five Bristol wards, supporting initiatives which bring people together and create local impact.
BTQ LLP was established to help turn vision into action. Two years on, that action is increasingly visible, in the projects progressing on the ground, in the partnerships being built, and in the benefits already reaching local communities.
This blog was written by Karen Mercer, CEO of BTQ LLP
