Construction has started on one of South Bristol’s largest new developments which will include 107 affordable homes and seven new commercial units.
Marvin Rees, Mayor of Bristol, visited The Old Brewery in Southville to mark the start of the build and to hear more about the plans to regenerate the area and provide much-needed affordable homes for the community.
Developed by Abri, one of the south’s largest housing providers, the ceremony marked the first stages of construction which follows initial demolition work and preparations to retain some of the existing structures that are being refurbished.
As part of Abri’s strategic partnership with Homes England, grant funding has been used to make all the homes affordable. The properties will be a mix of one, two and three-bedroom apartments with 98 homes available to buy through shared ownership and nine for social rent.
In addition to making use of a brownfield site, The Old Brewery will have provision to connect to Bristol City Council’s District Heat Network when it reaches Southville, to provide residents with low carbon heat.
Marvin Rees, Mayor of Bristol, said: “It’s great to see these homes starting to be built and to hear about the plans for the community. Bristol has a twin challenge of needing to deliver more homes, while also addressing the climate crisis. The Old Brewery will help us to achieve our ambitious goals by regenerating formerly disused land and providing vital affordable homes in a place where people can use active travel options.”
Tom Renhard, Cabinet Member for Housing Delivery and Homes, said: “I welcome the progress being made to get vitally needed affordable homes built at The Old Brewery. This will see over 100 affordable homes delivered for people in need, making a fundamental difference to their lives.”
Michelle Hyde, Head of Land and Planning at Abri, said: “It was a pleasure to meet with Mayor Rees to mark this significant milestone as work begins on these affordable homes that will have a transformative impact for the community.
“Abri is committed to building 12,500 new homes by 2030 and helping to address climate change. At The Old Brewery we want to help support the Southville community by not only providing affordable homes at scale but also local services and homes that are efficient to run and minimise their environmental impact.”
