Over 780 affordable homes to be built at Hengrove Park and Baltic Wharf

We are getting on with our plans to build new homes across our Hengrove Park and Baltic Wharf sites.

The council announced on Friday 19^th September that it would not be taking the affordable homes at Baltic Wharf or Phase 1B of Hengrove Park, but these affordable homes for social rent and shared ownership will still be built.

These two landmark developments are being delivered, providing much-needed new homes for our city. And we will build the same number of affordable homes as planned – around 715 at Hengrove Park and at least 66 at Baltic Wharf. However, rather than the council owning these homes, many will now be owned and managed by a housing association.

At Hengrove Park, the council will not be buying the affordable homes in Phase 1B of the masterplan (around 100) but may choose to take on affordable housing in future phases.

This decision has been made by Bristol City Council so it can spend more of its budget on the repair and maintenance of existing housing stock, plus continue the delivery of an extensive fire and building safety programme across its estate.

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

“Goram Homes remains on track to deliver much needed social and shared ownership homes at Baltic Wharf and Hengrove Park. These are homes that will be built and will have a positive impact on easing the pressure the housing crisis is putting our city under.

“Our recent decision to amend plans to buy these homes to add to our council housing stock, does not impact on them being built. I’m grateful for the work of officers and Goram Homes to ensure this housing will be delivered and to find an alternative buyer to maintain these new builds as social and shared ownership homes.

“Working in partnership with housing associations and other registered housing providers is critical to ensuring we continue to provide new social and affordable homes across Bristol.

“Working with Goram Homes we will aim to unlock council owned land to provide further opportunities for more much needed social homes to be built in our city.”

The 147 affordable homes at our One Lockleaze development will remain council-owned housing, as well as the 53 apartments at Hengrove Bookends and the 135 affordable homes across our Dovercourt Road and New Fosseway Road sites.

Whether it is housing association or council-owned housing, the affordable homes we’re building will help us tackle the housing crisis we face in our city, and we will continue to build for Bristol.