Decision details

Bristol City Council entered into a conditional Sale Agreement with the University of Bristol for sale of the Cattle Market Road site and a portion of the Temple Island site for development of the University’s new Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus. The sale is conditional on a number of issues being resolved by BCC, including works on site in preparation of future development; this includes demolition of the former sorting office building and ground works.
During the preconstruction and enabling works phases, site trials revealed the construction of the basement to the former sorting office building to be more complex than could be envisaged, and is further complicated by proximity to the Grade I listed Network Rail station and floating harbour, affecting methodology for removal.
The Council has been working in collaboration with the University of Bristol to identify a more efficient solution to the site works in order to minimise cost and risk to the Council. Site trials are required to verify an alternative methodology to resolve the issues around the existing basement, which could result in a more efficient solution.

Approval for additional budget of £140,000 to allow critical site trials to take place on the Cattle Market Road site; these investigations will inform the methodology for subsequent works to the basement of the former sorting office building, and could result in a significant overall saving due to a more efficient methodology being adopted
Approval for variation to the existing contract with Kier Construction Limited by £140,000 in association with the above site trials
Approval to receive income of £140,000 in association with the above site investigations

Option 1 - A number of alternative construction methodologies and designs have been considered from a technical and cost perspective to resolve the issues around the basement, and are still under consideration until the preferred methodology of boring directly through the basement can be verified through site trials. The preferred methodology would be the most cost efficient and low risk option identified, if verified.
Option 2 -
Option 3 -