Temple Meads – What It Needs (3)

So far, we have learned about the new Campus for Bristol University and the new eastern entrance to Temple Meads station. Google Earth merely shows the site cleared after the demolition of the postal sorting offices.

Immediately to the south of the Uni site is an area now called Temple Island.

It already has a brand new access bridge, closed and leading nowhere (above picture upper right) …

… named Brocks Bridge. 

There is also a footbridge leading to the building site …

… with the whole area badly disfigured with graffiti.

Sad.

Temple Island is very much NOT an island being merely a tight little wiggle in the River Axon.

fbb doesn’t think it ever was an Island! 

While we are on Temple Island we can consider the proposed SOUTH entrance to the station. Excavating very shaky memories from the fbb grey cells, fbb thought this proposed entrance was in the lower area below the present station approach road. Remember?

Round the back there is a mysterious archway …

… and fbb (who may be deluded by old age) THINKS he can remember coaches to Bristol Airport picking up their passengers from here directly accessed from the station footway tunnel.

But that is not what is planned.

The new extrance is planned (?) for here …

… somewhere round the back of Quick Fit.

The artists’ impression of this “new entrance” …

… looks like it is a footpath leading to the existing main entrance. Here is a Google Earth view for context.

Spot the main overall roof in both illustrations.

The whole area around Temple Meads under more immediate developments is that shown in red.

These developments are big and spectacular BUT, the grand plan is much bigger.

It is proposed for the Temple Quarter to annex St Philips Marsh, a name familiar to elderly rail enthusiasts.

Hmmm …

It is a political vision, of ourse!

There is another “Hmmm” as far as buses are concerned. Two mentions of “the humble bus” appear on the overall map of the current Temple Meads proposals.

The new Southern Entrance (which probably isn’t) mentions buses …

… without giving any details.

To the north of the original Brunel building, the brochure promises …

… a “new bus interchange” which appears to be located here …

… between the red brick building and Brunel’s train shed. It would, perforce, involve snaffling a chunk of the current station car park.

But then, if the overall scheme is correct, most of that area will have new office/residential blocks built upon it.

And do the bus operators know that they are to be banished from Station Approach (terminating services) and possibly from the stops on Temple Gate in favour of the new “interchange” (round the back) and the stops at the southern entrance (further away)?

You would bet nobody has asked them! Here are the outbound stops, conveniently sited at the foot of the station approach.

The inbound lay-by was still being fettled when Streetview passed by …

… but opposite the aforementioned car park …

… and already well hidden from those arriving at the station.

Far from ideal for interchange purposes. And where, pray are the super+duper Metro bus stops for the station?

But who cares? It’s only for buses!

More investigations needed.