Work has started on the construction of a major hotel and retail development in north Bristol. The multi-million pound project will see the construction of a Premier Inn, Beefeater restaurant, Aldi superstore and Costa Coffee drive-thru on Fox Den Road in the Stoke Gifford area of the city, close to Parkway station.
Groundworks are currently underway on the four-acre greenfield site, with the project scheduled to be completed by spring 2024.
The development, which is being built by Swindon-headquartered construction company Beard and developed by Bristol-based Baylis Estates, will see the delivery of a five-storey 103-bedroom hotel and the shell and core of the Aldi superstore and Costa Coffee drive-thru – as well as associated infrastructure and hard and soft landscaping, including a pocket park and public art.
Piling for the hotel’s concrete frame has been completed and work on the foundations started earlier this month. Gas, water and electricity supplies will be brought to the site and retaining walls will be built to support the existing road while the area is excavated, according to Beard.
Beard Bristol director Matt Cooper said: “We are very pleased to be delivering another significant, high-profile development for Baylis Estates. This project which will bring further accommodation, leisure and retail facilities to a thriving and fast-developing area of Bristol.
“Beard’s focus on quality of service and delivery, on maintaining good relationships with customers, contractors and the supply chain, as well as our experience in delivering prominent projects on greenfield sites will see us in good stead during this development.”
The design work for the scheme has been carried out by Bristol-based architecture firm Stride Treglown, while commercial property company JLL is responsible for project management. The Waterman Group is carrying out structural engineering, Beard said, while Hoare Lea is the mechanical and electrical services consultant and RLB the cost consultant.
Beard, a 130-year-old firm with offices in Swindon, Bristol, Guildford and Oxford, is behind a number of major developments in the South West including work on a £2.4m surgery in Swindon and a £4.5m revamp of Bristol’s oldest art gallery.
In March, the company said a strong supply chain had helped it achieve a "robust” financial performance. In a set of results for the year ending December 2021, Beard reported a pre-tax profit of £4.2m, in line with the previous year, but down on 2019’s figure of £4.4m.
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