Design competition open for new homes in Knowle West

We’ve teamed up with Bristol Housing Festival to find a winning design for our Novers Hill development, on the site of a former primary school on Belstone Walk. We’re looking for entries from small, local architectural firms that will transform the brownfield site and respect its well-loved surroundings.

You can find out more and download the competition pack on the Housing Festival website.

We reduced the number of homes planned for Novers Hill last year, following ecology surveys that confirmed the importance of the adjacent Western Slopes as a wildlife corridor. Around 50 homes are now planned for the site, and at least 30% will be for affordable Housing. We aim to exceed this number and currently almost half the homes in our pipeline are for social rent or shared ownership

A panel of judges, also including members of the community, will choose the winning design to be taken forward by Goram Homes and a development partner. Friends of the Western Slopes and Novers Hill are part of this panel.

Julia Victor, local resident who established Friends of the Western Slopes said: 

“The community has been rightly protective of our much-loved green space for decades, but we also recognise the need for more affordable homes in this area of the city. We want to see proposals that are sensitive to the ecological importance of the Western Slopes, and ultimately a development that fits well within its surroundings.”

Councillor Tom Renhard, Bristol City Council Cabinet member for Housing Delivery and Homes said:

“This is a brilliant opportunity for local architecture firms in Bristol and the West of England to create a unique and inspiring development for Knowle West.

“We got our city building 2,563 homes last year. Here, on another brownfield site, we plan to build more affordable homes in a way that protects important community assets. Working with local residents on a design competition like this is the best way we can do it.”

The competition is being administered by the Housing Festival. It is open to firms in Bristol and the wider West of England region, with no more than twenty employees and entries must be submitted by Wednesday April 12. Find out more on the Bristol Housing Festival website.