Bristol workspace provider Boxworks is being moved from Temple Meads to Brabazon - the huge new neighbourhood being built on the old Filton airfield. Boxworks offers studio space for start-ups and small businesses in old shipping containers and has been based at Temple Meads for the last seven years.
More than 80 local businesses - from architects to lawyers, tech firms to charities, creative studios and product designers - have used the space, according to workspace provider Forward, which owns Boxworks.
Forward said on Tuesday (February 6) that Boxworks’ home at Temple Meads was always part of an ongoing "meanwhile use" pending the redevelopment of Bristol Temple Meads station, which is now well underway.
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The Brabazon neighbourhood is being built by YTL Developments and includes the delayed 19,000-capacity Bristol Arena and hundreds of new homes. Around 150 homes have been completed and occupied at Brabazon already, with a further 250 currently under construction.
YTL also has detailed planning permission for a new local community hub in the historic aircraft hangar 16U, as well as 1,514 beds of student accommodation, and 239 homes designed for later living. In addition, it has consent for Brabazon Park - the largest new urban public space in the South West for more than 50 years.
Seb Loyn, planning and development director at YTL Developments, said: "Brabazon is designed to be the new home for Bristol’s next generation of pioneers. We want to live up to the legacy of Concorde and the former airfield’s incredible record for innovation. Boxwork’s flexible and affordable work space for growing companies will provide a vital missing link in North Bristol’s business ecosystem."
The 20 private studios at Boxworks measure 28 sq m and are suitable for up to six to eight people each. They are insulated to be energy efficient and heating, lighting, parking, cleaning and broadband are all included and units can be provided furnished or unfurnished.
Boxworks at Brabazon is expected to open to new occupiers in the second quarter of 2024.
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Gavin Eddy, founder and chief executive of Forward, said: "We are really excited to be relocating Boxworks to Brabazon. Boxworks sets the standard for innovative workspaces at Temple Meads, and by partnering with YTL Developments on the most ambitious and exciting development in Bristol, this move offers a long-term opportunity to create and nurture a new cluster of ambitious and exciting businesses at Brabazon."
Members of Boxworks at Brabazon will also have access to extra facilities at Aerospace Bristol, including the café, shop, and a range of meeting and event spaces.
Sally Cordwell, chief executive of Aerospace Bristol, added: “As a museum and charity that celebrates innovation, connects local communities, and aims to inspire future generations, Aerospace Bristol is pleased to support Boxworks at Brabazon. We look forward to welcoming Boxworks members and their guests for delicious meals and coffees in the cafe, meetings and events in our first-class spaces, and fascinating museum visits."
As part of the development of Brabazon, £100m is being invested in local transport, including a new train station that will connect to Bristol Temple Meads in less than 15 minutes.
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