Goram Homes signs deal with The Hill Group to deliver Baltic Wharf

Bristol City Council’s housing company Goram Homes has entered into a joint venture agreement with award-winning housebuilder The Hill Group for Baltic Wharf.

The agreement secures delivery of the 166-home harbourside development on Bristol’s Spike Island, including 40% affordable housing. This commitment has been secured through a deal with social housing provider SNG (Sovereign Network Group), which will purchase 66 of the homes, with 50 for social rent and 16 for shared ownership.

This deal means more homes are made available for households in Bristol with the greatest housing need. Social rent is the most affordable form of housing. These homes will be allocated through the council’s HomeChoice register ensuring they meet priority housing need in the city.

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

“This is a pivotal moment for Baltic Wharf. With Goram Homes and The Hill Group’s partnership formalised, we can look forward to dozens more homes for those households with the greatest need of housing, in the heart of the city. We can also confirm that the affordable homes will be owned and managed by the social housing provider SNG.

“Baltic Wharf demonstrates what’s possible when we unlock the potential of challenging sites through strong partnerships. The delivery of 66 affordable homes reflects Goram Homes’ commitment to working collaboratively to bring forward the homes our city so urgently needs, despite significant viability challenges for the Baltic Wharf development.

“This important announcement also confirms our commitment to delivering affordable housing in this city by every means possible, recognising that direct management by the council is not the only solution.”

A new neighbourhood for Bristol’s floating harbour

The development, which was approved unanimously by councillors in April 2024, will provide a mix of one, two and three-bedroom apartments. New landscaped public spaces will open a section of the floating harbour not accessible for decades, while space for cafés and retail will help create a new waterside destination.
Baltic Wharf is the fifth development from Goram Homes, which brings the number of homes either complete or in construction by the council-owned housing company to over 800.

Stephen Baker, Managing Director of Goram Homes, said:

“Our joint venture with The Hill Group marks a major milestone and moves Baltic Wharf into the delivery phase. Our focus is now on creating these high-quality, energy-efficient homes. We’re particularly proud that 40% of these will be affordable, directly addressing Bristol’s urgent housing need in a desirable, central location.

“As with all our projects, a significant share of any profit will be reinvested back into Bristol, either directly or through future housing provision.”

The Hill Group has a track record of delivering high-quality affordable homes in Bristol, including the award-winning development at McArthur’s Yard – a harbourside development for the Guinness Partnership that delivered 142 new homes, half of which were affordable.

Andy Hill OBE, founder and Group Chief Executive of The Hill Group, said:

“We’re delighted to formalise our partnership with Goram Homes for the delivery of Baltic Wharf. At Hill, we are committed to building high-quality, sustainable homes that meet the needs of local communities and securing 40% affordable homes on such a prominent harbourside site is a significant achievement.

“Baltic Wharf will not only provide much-needed affordable housing, but will also create vibrant public spaces that enrich and enhance Bristol’s harbourside. We look forward to starting construction and seeing this ambitious vision come to life.”

Unlocking a challenging site through partnerships

SNG will use Homes England Affordable Homes Programme grant funding to support its purchase of 66 homes at Baltic Wharf. SNG is one of the most active developing housing associations in the UK with a strategy to invest £7bn into new and existing homes over the next 10 years.

James Gibson, Regional Managing Director – West at SNG, said:

“Baltic Wharf is set to be a fantastic new development, and SNG is proud to play a key role in securing its offer of affordable homes. Thanks to Homes England funding, we will purchase 66 homes for social rent and shared ownership, ensuring this high-profile development helps towards meeting Bristol’s housing needs.”

Baltic Wharf has also been made possible thanks to a £2.4 million grant from HM Government’s Brownfield Land Release Fund (BLRF2), delivered by the One Public Estate (OPE) programme. This national initiative helps councils unlock and regenerate brownfield land to kickstart the delivery of new homes.

Paul Britton, Regional Programme Manager – South West at One Public Estate, said:

“We’re delighted to support Bristol City Council and Goram Homes in bringing forward a new community on Bristol’s harbourside. This is exactly what the Brownfield Land Release Fund is designed to do: unlock challenging sites and enable the delivery of high-quality, mixed tenure homes in places where they are most needed.”

With the joint venture for Baltic Wharf in place, preparation of the site is underway and enabling works will begin imminently.