Bristol and Bath to showcase £1b investment and property development opportunities at MIPIM28th February 2014

Senior figures from the cities of Bristol and Bath, including Mayor George Ferguson, will be highlighting the benefits of the region to property investors and developers at international real estate fair MIPIM, in Cannes, France, next month.

Inward investment agency Invest Bristol & Bath, which is part of the West of England Local Enterprise Partnership, aims to demonstrate the many attractions of the area, including world class industry clusters, a strong pool of talent, global transport links and quality of life. 

It will also show how the region intends to use £1 billion in government funding and how the private sector can influence investment decisions and lever funding. The funding will help deliver new developments with the capacity to create 100,000 new jobs.

Invest in Bristol & Bath’s exhibition and events will also promote a number of development and investment opportunities in the region. These include:

• Arena Island at the Temple Quarter Enterprise Zone – a 3.6 hectare waterfront site near Bristol Temple Meads station, which will be home to Bristol’s new music and entertainment venue and offers further potential for leisure, commercial and residential development. This is one of the most significant regeneration opportunities in South West England.
• Bath City Riverside Enterprise Area, which has the capacity to deliver up to 9,000 jobs and 3,600 new homes, will also be exhibited. The centrepiece of the Enterprise Area will be Innovation Quay – a commercial quarter at Bath Quays North and South that will offer approximately 200,000 sq ft of modern work space as part of its aspiration to create a new Innovation Campus.
• Emersons Green Enterprise Area, a flagship site for the West of England and home to the Bristol & Bath Science Park and National Composites Centre, has the potential for 40 hectares of employment space.
• Filton Enterprise Area is a world leader in cutting-edge aerospace and aviation technology and has at its heart a new allocation for 50 hectares of employment land with potential for a further 50 hectares on surrounding sites.
• Avonmouth Severnside Enterprise Area is an internationally significant industrial site extending five miles along the Severn Estuary and covering 1,800 hectares.
• Finally, Junction 21 Enterprise Area, alongside the M5 corridor and part of the £1bn expansion of Weston-super-Mare, offers several new opportunities for investment in the office, leisure and tourism sectors amongst others.

Colin Skellett, chair of the West of England Local Enterprise Partnership, said: “The Bristol and Bath region is one of Europe’s fastest growing and most prosperous sub regions. We have an enormous amount to offer investors – a highly skilled workforce, a strong presence from national and multi-national business alongside a fantastic culture of entrepreneurship and business start-ups, excellent universities and a high standard of living.

"As we emerge from the recession, it’s crucial that we capitalise on the return in confidence and MIPIM is the ideal place to do this as it will give us the opportunity to get in front of companies who are ready to invest.”

Last month, the Bristol and Bath region was recognised in the fDi European Cities and Regions of the Future 2014/15 – an annual survey of foreign direct investment in Europe carried out by fDi Intelligence, part of the Financial Times. The region was identified as second only to Copenhagen in the Top 10 Small European Regions. Bristol was second to Zurich in the Mid-Sized European City for Economic Potential category and Bath is fifth in the Top 10 Micro European Cities category, and number one in the UK.

Invest Bristol & Bath’s attendance at MIPIM is supported by law firm Burges Salmon and Bath-based housing organisation Curo.

A high level delegation from across the four unitary authorities will be attending MIPIM including Colin Skellett, Chair of the West of England Local Enterprise Partnership, George Ferguson, Mayor of Bristol, Paul Crossley, Council Leader at Bath & North East Somerset Council and Steve Evans, director of environment and community services at South Gloucestershire Council.