Bristol City Council approves plan to build over 1,000 homes by 2031

Bristol City Council has approved Goram Homes’ Business Plan for 2026/27, paving the way for the council-owned housing company to scale up the delivery of new homes across the city. 

The Business Plan outlines how the company will build more than 1,000 new homes by 2030/31, including around 580 affordable homes, to help tackle the city’s ongoing housing shortage. 

The plan comes as Goram Homes enters the new financial year (1 April) contracted to build more than 2,000 homes across five sites in Bristol. Around half of these will be affordable housing for social rent or shared ownership. 

Sites already underway include: 

• One Lockleaze – a 268-home development, with 55% affordable housing, where residents are already moving in as homes are completed.
• The Brooklands – a former council highways depot in Lockleaze which is being transformed into a 140-home neighbourhood, including 70 homes as affordable housing.
• Baltic Wharf – a 166-home development (40% affordable housing) under construction in the heart of the city on Spike Island.
• The Fosseway Phase One will deliver 130 homes (50% affordable housing) in Hengrove.
• Dundry View, a 53-home 100% affordable housing development for Bristol City Council, completing shortly. It forms a part of the wider Hengrove Park masterplan to create a new neighbourhood of 1,400+ homes.

Councillor Barry Parsons, Chair of the Homes and Housing Delivery Committee at Bristol City Council, said:

“Bristol is facing huge pressure on housing supply, with many people struggling to find homes they can afford.

“We are working with resolve and determination to provide more safe, affordable homes for people in Bristol. Goram Homes plays an important role in helping the council bring forward new homes on council-owned land and unlock sites that would otherwise be difficult to develop.

“With this Business Plan approved, the company can continue scaling up delivery and help provide the affordable homes our city urgently needs.”

The Business Plan outlines how Goram Homes’ delivery is ramping up further as it starts work on two more development sites: 

• Phase Two of The Fosseway, which will see Anchor, England’s largest provider of specialist housing and care for older people, deliver 70 extra care affordable homes for older people.  
• Phase One of Hengrove Park which will see the construction of 209 homes with around 50% affordable housing. Phase One will extend to over 350 homes in total once further detailed planning consent is achieved.

Stephen Baker, Managing Director of Goram Homes, said:

“This Business Plan sets out how we will build on our progress to date and accelerate our delivery of homes, directly addressing the city’s acute housing shortage. 

“Starting our new financial year with more than 2,000 homes already contracted to be built shows the strength of our pipeline and the impact of our partnership approach.

“By working closely with the council, housing associations, Homes England and private developers, we’re unlocking complex, brownfield sites to bring forward mixed-tenure neighbourhoods that meet Bristol’s long-term housing needs. 

“We’re pleased to have recorded our first profit after tax in 2024/25 and be forecasting to remain profitable throughout the period covered by the business plan. All our profits are returned to the council for reinvestment, further supporting our city.”

Goram Homes was set up by Bristol City Council in 2019. It supports Bristol City Council’s Corporate Strategy priority of creating safe, healthy neighbourhoods and affordable, good-quality homes. Goram Homes developments are also designed to high sustainability standards to support Bristol’s wider net zero agenda.  

Image: The Brooklands, Lockleaze (under construction in late 2025).