Bristol’s elected mayor is aiming to ensure that a fifth of all new housing development in city is affordable, according to the chief executive of one of the city’s biggest registered providers.

Oona Goldsworthy, chief executive of United Communities housing association, told Built Environment Network’s recent Bristol Major Development Plans event that she believed Marvin Rees would achieve his election campaign target of 2,000 homes new homes per year in the city.

And she said that the mayor was moving to having a flat rate proportion of homes on sites, like that used by his London counterpart Sadiq Khan, as opposed to the viability assessments currently used by Bristol’s planners.

“There are conversations in Bristol about 20%, as opposed to the 6% we get at the moment which is absolutely atrocious,” she said, adding that the current level of 160 new affordable homes being delivered in the city was ‘not good enough’.

Goldsworthy said that her own organisation, which owns around 2,000 homes in Bristol, had set itself a target of build 500 new homes by 2021. “We decided to max out the credit card and borrow as much as we could.”

She said United Communities’ schemes included a 160-home development, which it is bringing forward in a joint venture with HAB Housing, Grand Designs’ presenter Kevin McCloud’s housebuilding company. .

HAB will build two-thirds of the scheme, which is due to start on site in October, for sale with the remainder due to delivered as affordable housing including private rented sector homes with ethical investor Bristol and Bath Regional Capital.

Goldsworthy said United Communities was also in discussions with an institutional developer about taking the section 106 affordable housing element of a large high-density scheme in central Bristol, which is currently in planning and due to begin construction next year.

In addition, she said that the association is developing 50 homes on the edge of the Lockleaze area of the city with a community land trust, having already completed 12 homes with another in Fishponds.

Mark Davis, of the Department for Communities & Local Government, told the event that the government would use its review of the National Planning Policy Framework next year to implement measures outlined in February’s housing white paper to encourage the take-up of build to rent.

But he said build to rent developers still faced challenges. “On average build to rent developer will be typically outbid by build for sale.”

John Chaplin, ‎director of external affairs and special projects at the Bristol Port Company, said in his presentation that the development of the nuclear power station at nearby Hinkley Point in Somerset had spurred an upsurge in work at the city’s dockside area

He said that contractor Costain is building a pre-cast concrete plant for Hinkley and a new jetty is being created at Bristol port to enable the trans-shipment of building materials, including sand and aggregates, for the nuclear plant.

But Chaplin said that plans for a £800m deep sea container terminal at the port were currently on ice due to concerns about the potential impact of Brexit.

He also raised the port company’s concerns over proposals to build a tidal lagoon in the Severn estuary, which he warned could silt up the port.

David Newton, chief executive of Kersfield, said that the specialist housing developer had completed phase one of its scheme to redevelop a former Ministry of Defence site at Ensleigh in Bath with only two out of the 13 houses remaining to be sold.

He added that phase two of the scheme, which will provide 13 houses and nine apartments, had started on site with completion expected in spring 2018.

And he said that the company has submitted a planning application for restoration of the Grade II* listed former Redland High School in Bristol.

He said that, subject to successful receipt of planning permission, Kersfield expected to start the two year build programme in January.

However, he said that the Bath and Bristol areas good contractors were thin on the ground

“After the financial crash, the contractor market was decimated. With other projects like Hinkley, the biggest fear is that Brexit will put even more strain on the supply chain,.”