Construction of city's tallest building set to begin

Construction of what is set to become a city's tallest building is set to begin imminently.

Developer Olympian Homes received permission from Bristol City Council in 2024 to demolish and replace the Premier Inn on the Haymarket and the NCP car park in Rupert Street.

The development, which will include a 28-storey block of 422 student bedrooms and an 18-storey tower of 142 co-living rooms, has now obtained approval from the government's Building Safety Regulator.

An Olympian Homes spokesman added that "construction will commence immediately" and is expected to be completed by mid-2028.

Along with communal roof terraces, lounges and gyms, both tower blocks will offer cinema rooms and co-working space.

Plans also include a kiosk, a public café, a new park and a plaza, which will link to St James' Park and provide access to Bristol bus station.

Mark Slatter, chairman of Olympian Homes, said he hoped the new block would be the "most elegant tall building" in Bristol.

He said "despite a challenging market" the company was focused on redeveloping urban sites to support regeneration.

In June, the government announced new reforms to the Building Safety Regulator to tackle delays to building new high-rise homes.

An Olympian Homes spokesperson said that working with the regulator's newly formed unit had helped speed up its latest Gateway 2 application, which is required for higher-risk buildings.

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