Architect and TV Presenter George Clarke and the Mayor of Bristol visit the Romney site

Today George Clarke came to Bristol to find out more about Bristol’s innovative approach to house building and look at plans for the new homes in Lockleaze.

George Clarke, whose 2019 Channel 4 documentary highlighted the lack of social housing across the country, and the Mayor of Bristol, Marvin Rees, today visited the planned development at Romney House.

George, who has campaigned to put the need for more affordable housing on the national agenda, met the Mayor to find out about how Bristol City Council is addressing the housing crisis in the city. George was also exploring the planned development at Romney House and its potential to feature in follow up films for Channel 4.

Goram Homes, the housing company established by the council, will be building 268 new, high quality homes on the site, in partnership with Vistry Partnership. 55% of the homes will be affordable housing – above the official target of 40% – and will be delivered by the council. They will range from one bed flats all the way up to four bed family houses.

George Clarke said:

“My campaign highlighted how difficult it is to get decent council housing built, but it is essential that we all find a way. The country needs at least 100,000 new genuinely affordable homes every year for many years to come – we are miles off that. Bristol has developed some innovative ways to build more, and I hope we can work together to try and resolve the country’s massive housing crisis.”

Mayor of Bristol, Marvin Rees said:

“I was delighted to welcome George to Bristol and show him the progress we have already made, and our plans to accelerate the building of more affordable homes across the city. Providing homes that people can afford and creating communities where people feel proud to live are two of our main goals.

“Like us, he understands how important it is to build housing that people can afford and create diverse and balanced communities where people can thrive. This is now more important than ever, as we look to make sure that people who have been adversely affected by the pandemic are not further left behind.

“We hope that George will be able to tell his story as part of his next TV series, so we can all continue to increase the pressure on government to make sure affordable housing is a top priority for everyone.”

Stephen Baker, Managing Director, Goram Homes said:

“Delivering homes that Bristol is proud of, in developments that build communities and are celebrated for their design and sustainability credentials is what drives us. The new homes will benefit from a brand new community park which will form a wildlife corridor all the way from Stoke Park to Concorde helping to contribute to ongoing transformation of Lockleaze.”

For more information on the Romney Site development visit www.goramhomes.co.uk/developments/