Landmark house building development announced

Bristol City Council has unveiled ambitious plans to deliver more than 100 new homes.

The move is a major landmark since it will include the first wholly council-funded new council homes for more than 30 years.

New council houses
Twelve council houses will be built on land including former council garage sites in Eastville, St George and Lawrence Hill.

The scheme will be 100 per cent funded through the council’s new, city-controlled, Housing Revenue Account.

Affordable homes
In addition to these 12 new homes, the council will release 50 sites a year for two years to other social landlords for them to deliver 100 affordable homes.

Many sites are former council garages sites, but also include some PRC houses (pre-cast reinforced concrete).

The council’s garage strategy is looking at each of the 300 council-owned garage sites with a view to either selling the site, investing in it to bring the garages up to a good standard or investigating the site for alternative use.

Two former garage sites in Hartcliffe have already been transformed, with a development of 14 new low-cost family homes completed in July by affordable housing specialist Curo and the council.

Aimee Oakley and her six-month-old daughter Gracie were among the first residents to move in. Aimee said: “The house is a really spacious for a two-bedroom home and has a good-sized garden. I have lots of family living close by, so this is a great and location for me and a nice quiet area too.”

The new homes were built on land previously occupied by a number of run-down garages which had become eyesores and suffered from vandalism.

The homes are owned and managed by Curo housing association and are available at social rents through HomeChoice Bristol, the council’s housing register, which allocates low-cost housing to people most in need of housing in the city.