A Bristol developer is nearing completion on a development of 26 flats right next to the controversial Bedminster Green regeneration scheme - and all of the flats there will be ‘affordable housing’ managed by a housing association.
The five-storey block of flats has been built in Leicester Street, which backs onto East Street in Bedminster, and is soon to be dwarfed by two of the five Bedminster Green sites that will see tower blocks up to 17 storeys high next door.
But while the Bedminster Green regeneration sites have been criticised for failing to include affordable housing for people on the council’s 15,000-long housing waiting list, the development in Leicester Street has now been bought by Bromford Housing Association, and will be let through the council’s HomeChoice waiting list system.
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Local developers Crown Developments won planning permission in 2021 to demolish a range of empty post-war office buildings and a warehouse at the end of Stafford Street in Bedminster, and build a block of 17 one-bed and nine two bed apartments.
Initially, the plan was for 20 per cent of the flats to be classed as ‘affordable’, but since getting planning permission, Crown Developments have sold all of them to Bromford Housing Association, who will now let them out to tenants from the council’s waiting list.
Across the road from the Leicester Street site, are two of the five huge Bedminster Green plots, which have been the source of controversy for years as developers bid to build tower blocks of flats and student accommodation. On one side of the adjacent Stafford Street is the St Catherine’s Place site, where developer Firmstone won permission to build a 14-storey tower block containing 180 flats, none of which will be classed as ‘affordable’, or let through the council’s waiting list system.
On the other side of Crown’s development is the Little Paradise site, which will see building firm Dandara - named as the council’s ‘development partner’ - build a series of tower blocks up to 16 storeys high, containing a total of 295 flats, none of which will be classed as ‘affordable’, and are being constructed in a ‘build-to-rent’ scheme.
The city council did handover land which was the site of one of the Little Paradise car parks to Dandara to build 21 affordable homes as part of the whole scheme, and work is now underway.
Bristol Live investigations have shown that, of the three Bedminster Green sites to have already been given planning permission at this time, a total of 1,315 new homes will be built but only 21 of them will be ‘affordable’.
This means that Crown Developments are now providing more affordable homes on their small former offices site next door than three of the five big Bedminster Green sites so far. Crown’s director, Adam Phelps, said he hoped the people living there will be part of the regeneration of the area.
“Crown Apartments will make a small, but not insignificant, contribution to Bristol’s much needed supply of affordable housing particularly in the south of the city, which is an area of particular need,” he said. “The redevelopment of an outdated, office and commercial set of buildings into high-quality affordable living spaces is vital as local authorities strive to meet their housing targets and we are only too pleased to have facilitated this.”
“Residents will enjoy an accessible home in an exciting part of Bristol. They will be a stone’s-throw away from local shopping amenities and transport links, with the East Street area already undergoing major investment in the years to come under new regeneration plans,” he added.
Last year, as the first Bedminster Green plots were given planning permission with no affordable homes, the council’s cabinet member for housing, Cllr Tom Renhard, told Bristol Live of the difficulties the council has to force or persuade developers to include affordable homes for people on the housing waiting list.
It’s not the first 100 per cent affordable homes development Crown have been involved in - the firm initially won planning permission for the conversion of the Kellaways building supply yard in Luckwell Road, Bedminster into a development of 67 new homes - all of which will be affordable homes rented through a housing association.
The development at Bedminster Green was only possible thanks to a £4 million finance deal from local investment firm Shawbrook. Its senior director John Hughes said: ““The average cost of a home in Bristol was more than £360,000 last year, with that figure likely to be far higher now with no signs of the market cooling down post-pandemic,” he said.
“The availability of development finance will be important to help developers in getting affordable housing schemes get off the ground – from redevelopment works to new build projects. Collectively, smaller projects will have a big impact on tackling rising housing prices,” he added.
“Adam and the team at Crown Developments Bristol have a track record of creating high-quality homes in the Bristol area, obtaining planning permission for new build homes on Luckwell Road in 2019, making a clear case to support the Crown Apartments project delivering accessible homes to the community,” he added.
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