Bristol has proven to be one of the UK’s fastest growing cities over the last couple of decades – something that has brought challenges alongside benefits. In this report we will look at what is being done currently, and is proposed, to shape the city centre for the future.
Historically, a major global port and trading city Bristol has increasingly become a key UK commercial hub over the last 20 years or so. According to a 2024 report by Centre for Cities, Bristol’s economy grew by 86% between 2004 and 2021 – 31% more than the England and Wales average. Compared to other large UK cities it ranks highly for inward migration, job creation and graduate employment. It has a notably high level of jobs (13%+) in the digital, science and tech. sectors which have brought many highly skilled and well paid jobs to the city.
Bristol was heavily impacted by bombing in WWII which, alongside post-war industrial decline, left many vacant brownfield sites in and around the centre. So, regeneration has been a continually evolving process since. Of significance here has been regeneration around the original port area in the city centre which has made the area a focus for leisure, developed the visitor economy and made it more popular for city living.
Bristol has over 65,000 students at the University of Bristol, University of the West of England (UWE) and other HE institutions. As elsewhere numbers of students have grown fast in recent years and further growth is forecast.
There has been extensive PBSA development in the centre. However, a local report quoting business leaders and CBRE says that Bristol has one of the worst shortages of PBSA of any city in the country. It says that since 2018 only 2,900 new bedspaces have been delivered in the city although the student population has risen by 8,000. It says that the student population is forecast to rise from 64,400 in 2021 to 85,400 by 2034. The report adds that even though 10,000 new student rooms are being built or in the pipeline around 20,000 are actually needed to keep up with expanding student numbers.
