Plans for the Bath Road Energy Centre have been approved, marking a major step in Bristol’s transition to cleaner heat. Buro Happold acted as multidisciplinary engineering consultant, supporting the planning application on behalf of Vattenfall Business Solutions UK in collaboration with Stride Treglown and Savills.
Situated on a disused plot along Bath Road, the centre will use air source heat pumps and electric boilers to provide up to 13MW of low‑carbon heat to the city’s district energy network.
According to the project team, the scheme could reduce local emissions by up to 65% a year — comparable to taking around 3,700 diesel cars off Bristol’s roads annually.
The Energy Centre will serve homes, education buildings and workplaces across the Temple Quarter regeneration area. Once operational, it is expected to deliver enough low carbon heat for more than 7,000 homes and support expansion of a city‑scale network projected to heat over half of the people living and working in Bristol by 2050.
Designed as modern civic infrastructure, the building references Bristol’s industrial heritage and distinctive Byzantine influences. A facade of ribbed GRC panels with a decorative lattice motif is intended to give the structure a crafted, dynamic presence, particularly when illuminated at night.
Alasdair Young, Partner and Global Energy Transition Lead at Buro Happold, said: “We’re proud to have worked with Vattenfall, Stride Treglown, and Savills on this future-forward project. Our multidisciplinary team provided the technical and environmental studies underpinning the planning application, ensuring robust proposals that align with both local and national energy transition priorities. Bath Road Energy Centre represents an exciting next phase of Vattenfall’s Bristol heat network.”
Adam Al-Azki, Director at Buro Happold, said: “This planning approval marks a significant milestone for the project and for Bristol’s decarbonisation journey. It reflects the strength of collaboration between our partners in developing an integrated engineering and architectural solution capable of delivering low-carbon, district-scale heating to the city.”
Dom Barton, Director of Heat Networks – Bristol, at Vattenfall said: “We’re delighted to have received planning for Bath Road Energy Centre. This infrastructure will unlock a low carbon future for Bristol, providing buildings in the city centre with access to a long-term, future proofed decarbonisation solution, reducing the need to burn fossil fuels to heat homes and buildings in Bristol.”
Bringing together innovation, sustainability and community benefit, the project is intended to accelerate the decarbonisation of Bristol’s heat supply while contributing to the wider regeneration of Temple Quarter.
Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
