Extra care homes for older people in £85m plan for closed school site
PLANS have been submitted to transform the former site of a Bristol school into an £85million retirement community and leisure hub.
Investment firm FORE Partnership and care operator Amicala acquired the five-acre site at Westbury Park, which borders Clifton Downs, last year for an undisclosed sum.
The companies have said the proposed development on the grounds of St Christopher’s School – which closed in 2020 – could provide around 120 extra care homes for older people.
The project, titled St Christopher’s Square, could see refurbishment of the site’s existing buildings, including the villas fronting Westbury Park and the Grade II listed building Grace House, with the site opened to the public for the first time in years.
Plans include a new leisure centre, with a cafe, an urban village hall, a wellness centre with a hydrotherapy pool and gym.
The project is being devised with a view to making it one of the few extra care communities in the country to operate with net-zero carbon emissions. The community could be fossil fuel free and generate up to 25% of its energy from onsite solar panels.
Extra care communities are different to traditional retirement housing in both scale and the services provided. The model enables older people to remain relatively independent and move into the community, with a minimum baseline of care which can then be increased as they age.
According to the plans, a total of 122 retirement homes could be provided within a collection of twostorey cottages and four three to six-storey buildings.
Following a public consultation that lasted several months, “significant changes” have been made to the plans, including a reduction in height of some of the buildings.
The tallest element of the proposals have also been moved to the centre of the site, while other proposed buildings have been moved away from the site boundary to minimise the impact of the development on existing neighbouring properties.
Henry Lumby, Amicala’s chief development officer, said the care operator was “excited” about the development, which he said could meet an “acute need” for specialist extra care homes in Bristol.
Mr Lumby said: “It will provide older people with high quality and sustainable housing, with the option for wraparound care on hand as needed, reducing the burden on healthcare and social services.”
Basil Demeroutis, managing partner at FORE, added: “We are committed to delivering stand-out projects that uphold the highest standards of environmental sustainability, whilst driving significant positive social value.
“As the first net zero carbon later living development for Bristol and one of the first in the UK, St Christopher’s Square will pave the way for a new generation of ultra-sustainable, later living communities for older people.”
Developer Socius, formerly known as First Base and behind the regeneration of Bristol’s former Soapworks building, have been appointed to manage the project.
Socius project director Lucinda Mitchell said: “Having engaged early and listened carefully to the local community, we have revised elements of our plans to respond to their feedback and are pleased to present a highly sustainable and inclusive scheme which will address the need for high quality specialist later living housing for Bristol.”
The development is aligned with Bristol City Council’s social value policy, with the site so far being used as a Covid-19 vaccination centre, rent-free space for community groups and temporary affordable accommodation for 90 people while it is vacant.