70 affordable extra care homes secured for The Fosseway

Image courtesy of Vistry: Artist’s impression of Phase One homes at The Fosseway.

Bristol City Council’s housebuilding company Goram Homes has exchanged contracts with Anchor, England’s largest not-for-profit provider of housing and care for people in later life, to deliver the second phase of The Fosseway development in Hengrove.

Under the agreement, Anchor will take ownership of the land once detailed planning permission for its scheme is granted, enabling the delivery of 70 much-needed extra care homes. Outline planning consent for the scheme has already been awarded.

All the homes being created will be for social rent, which is the most affordable form of housing. They will be allocated through the council’s adult social care team to people who have been identified as having a priority need for extra care homes in the city.

The homes will be designed for older people with care and support needs who wish to live independently with the reassurance of on-site care. The extra care housing will include a mix of one and two-bed homes, alongside communal facilities, landscaped gardens, and direct access to new green spaces and walking routes being created across the wider site.

These homes form part of a new intergenerational community at The Fosseway and will be delivered with funding support from Homes England and Bristol City Council.

Construction is already underway of the first phase by Goram Homes in partnership with award-winning housebuilder Vistry Group to build 130 homes.

These include one and two-bedroom apartments, and two, three and four-bedroom houses. All homes will be fitted with solar panels, air source heat pumps, and electric car charging points to support more sustainable, energy-efficient living.

Half of the Phase 1 homes will be affordable, for social rent and shared ownership, with the remainder for open market sale.

Together, the two phases will transform the former school site off New Fosseway Road, which has been empty for over a decade, into a vibrant neighbourhood of 200 homes for people of all ages.

Councillor Barry Parsons, Chair of Bristol City Council’s Homes and Housing Delivery Committee, said:
“This is another significant step in delivering a thriving new community in Hengrove. The extra care homes being brought forward by Anchor will help meet the growing need for high-quality, affordable homes for older people in Bristol. Together, the two phases of this development demonstrate our commitment to building balanced, inclusive and sustainable neighbourhoods across the city.”

Christiana Makariou, Development Director at Goram Homes, said:
“We’re delighted to have secured Anchor as our partner for Phase 2 of The Fosseway. Their experience and expertise in providing high-quality, affordable extra care housing will ensure older residents can remain active, independent and well supported in a community that brings generations together.”

Oliver Boundy, Anchor’s Executive Director of Development, added:
“We’re pleased to be working with Goram Homes to deliver high-quality, affordable extra care housing that supports older people and their evolving needs. At Anchor, we’re dedicated to creating homes where people can enjoy later life to the fullest. The Fosseway development is a great example of how thoughtfully designed communities can be created to meet the needs of older people in the local area.” 

Detailed design of the extra care homes is underway

A detailed design of the extra care home development is now underway and will be submitted for planning in the coming months. Construction will begin once detailed planning permission is secured and the land transfer to Anchor is complete.

Goram Homes, which is wholly owned by Bristol City Council, is now in contract with development partners to build 757 homes across the city, more than half of which will be affordable.

The company has full planning consent for over 900 homes and expects to be on site at six developments by the end of the year, including Phase 1 of Hengrove Park, a 1,435-home regeneration of the former Whitchurch airfield.

Anchor is a HomesWest partner, an organisation that works in collaboration with registered providers and local authorities across the West of England to deliver more affordable homes and support local housing priorities. Anchor manages over 54,000 homes in the UK for both rent and sale to those aged 55 and over.