”We have to do things differently” – Bristol City Council move forward with housing plans Posted on: September 7th, 2018 Bristol City Council are moving ahead with their plans to build 2,000 new homes every year by 2020 – with 40% set to be affordable. In this weeks Council meeting an agreement was made to step into the private housing market – with the Council striking a deal with major developer Willmott Dixon for the creation of 133 homes in the City. It’s a landmark move by the council – with it being the first time they’ve built houses for sale on the private market. Willmott Dixon, Partner of our West of England Economic Growth Conference in October, are now set to develop the land in Ashton Vale into 80 homes and flats for the private market, and 53 new council houses in Bristol. The Council have agreed to give £24m to Willmott Dixon to develop the land – with the sale of non-council homes helping to neutralise the cost of developing the council homes. The total expense once completed for the council would be £1.84m – although they confirm they could have turned a profit from the development the City Council were keen to provide more social housing. Paul Smith, Housing Cabinet Member for Bristol City Council, said: ”The construction of the development will provide job opportunities for local people, apprenticeships and work experience. The new homes will bring investment to the area, make a contribution towards the community infrastructure levy and generate additional council tax revenues.” [emaillocker id=”71749″] Mayor Marvin Rees added: ”Paul and I went out there to a field full of long nettles and grass and it’s going to be amazing to see that site come forward for homes. We recognise that to achieve our targets, we have to do things differently. This is the first time we’re using this model of building homes for sale on the open market, and we are hoping this can pave the way for our new housing company to deliver more housing for the whole city. We cannot achieve these ambitious goals on our own, and that is why we are working with a range of partners and organisations to make a real difference to the city/” Now that the plans have been approved the site is set to take a move forward – with a derelict building being demolished and land prepared for the new residential properties – which will be a variety of make-ups including 2 and 3 bedroom homes and one and two bedroom flats. In terms of size the development will cover 2 levels for homes and up to 4 for the flats. John Boughton, Wales & West Deputy Managing Director at Willmott Dixon who’re sponsoring the West of England Economic Growth Conference, said: “This is a defining moment for the city of Bristol and the council’s housebuilding programme. Considerable care and attention has been given to ensuring that the proposals for Ashton Rise will facilitate the creation of a thriving new community, enhancing the local landscape and providing quality new homes, designed to suit the needs of local residents. There’s a lot of excitement about this particular development, and we look forward to delivering this fantastic scheme over the coming months.” Tickets for the West of England Economic Growth Conference range from £60-177 and can be purchased here. [/emaillocker]
