Karin Smyth MP visits The Fosseway

Karin Smyth, the Labour MP for Bristol South, has visited The Fosseway in Hengrove to see the progress being made to create a neighbourhood of 200 homes, of which 135 will be much-needed affordable housing.

Built on the site of a former school, The Fosseway is being delivered in two phases by Goram Homes, Bristol City Council’s housing company. Phase One is under construction and will deliver 130 homes through a partnership between Goram Homes and Vistry Group. Half of these homes will be affordable, owned and managed by housing association Abri, with the remaining 65 homes available for open market sale.

A mixed-tenure neighbourhood for a range of housing needs

Karin Smyth MP was joined on her visit to The Fosseway by project partners and local representatives, including Cllr. Tim Kent, the Liberal Democrat Ward Councillor for Hengrove and Whitchurch Park. During the visit, she also heard about plans for the second phase of the development. This phase will deliver 70 extra care homes and is being brought forward by Anchor, England’s largest provider of specialist housing for older people.

Phase Two will provide 100% affordable housing designed specifically for older residents, enabling people to live independently with access to care and support when needed.

Karin Smyth MP said: “South Bristol’s housing challenges are acute and long-standing and addressing them requires strong collaboration between partners from the public and private sectors. This new neighbourhood will provide affordable housing which is desperately needed in Hengrove. Importantly, this includes affordable extra care homes for older people, meeting a community need that is often overlooked in other developments.”

Councillor Barry Parsons, Chair of the Homes and Housing Delivery Committee at Bristol City Council, said: “The Fosseway is a strong example of how Bristol is using its land to deliver the affordable, sustainable homes our communities urgently need. Through Goram Homes, we’re able to unlock challenging sites like this and work with partners who share our ambition for high‑quality, mixed‑tenure neighbourhoods. Phase Two will provide much‑needed specialist homes for older residents, ensuring people can stay independent and connected to their communities as their needs change.”

Stephen Baker, Managing Director at Goram Homes, said: “It was a pleasure to show Karin Smyth MP the work underway to transform this brownfield site into a mixed-tenure neighbourhood. We’re proud that the two phases of this development will create a total of 200 homes, of which 67.5% will be affordable housing – far exceeding the 20% required by planning.”

Susan Schofield, Regional Managing Director for Vistry Bristol, said: “We’re pleased to be working in partnership to deliver Phase One of The Fosseway and demonstrate the progress being made on site. This development is one of three sites in Bristol we’re partnering with Goram Homes to deliver. It’ll provide a mix of homes that meet a variety of local community needs while also meeting exceptionally high environmental design standards, supporting Bristol’s wider net zero ambitions.”

Goram Homes expects the first homes in Phase One to complete in the coming weeks. Designed to high environmental standards, the homes will be net zero in operation. This means the homes generate enough renewable energy on-site to balance the energy needed to run them.

Outline planning permission for the whole site, which includes The Fosseway Phase Two, has already been granted. A detailed planning application for Phase Two is due to be submitted this spring. Construction will begin once full planning consent is secured and the land transfer to Anchor is complete.

The Fosseway is one of five sites being brought forward by Goram Homes as part of its 2026/27 Business Plan which was approved by Bristol City Council earlier this month. The company plans to deliver more than 1,000 homes across the city by 2030/31, including around 580 affordable homes.

In addition to The Fosseway Phase One, Goram Homes is delivering One Lockleaze (268 homes) and The Brooklands (140 homes) in partnership with Vistry Group. All these developments are delivering at least 50% affordable housing.

Image caption (left to right): David McNulty, Executive Director of Housing and Landlords at Bristol City Council; Cllr. Tim Kent, Ward Councillor for Hengrove and Whitchurch Park; Karin Smyth, the Labour MP for Bristol South; Elaine Olphert, Technical Director at Goram Homes; Cllr. Barry Parsons, Chair of the Homes and Housing Delivery Committee at Bristol City Council; Stephen Baker, Managing Director at Goram Homes.