Half of flats at wasteland site will be let as affordable homes
WORK is finally about to begin on building 109 flats on a site that has been an empty wasteland for more than 10 years, after council chiefs won a battle with developers over affordable homes.
The land next to an entrance to the Paintworks on Bath Road, opposite Arnos Vale Cemetery, which was used as a builders’ yard in the 2000s, will now be redeveloped, with half the development being designated affordable housing.
The final permission has been granted by council planning officers, ending a threeyear back-and-forth between developers Vistry and city council housing chiefs, and work can now get underway on the gateway site into Bristol from Bath and Brislington.
A series of plans for the empty site on the Bath Road have been proposed for years. Back in 2016, permission was granted for 47 new homes on the site, but that never happened.
In 2017, developers came back with plans for 152 apartments in blocks up to eight storeys high, but planning officers advised the developers that would never get planning permission there.
In 2019, developers returned with new plans for flats, with just 15 per cent affordable, and produced an economic viability report to show that they couldn’t afford to build any more.
But council planning officers challenged that, and commissioned their own viability report from experts, who said they thought the development could include at least 30 per cent affordable homes.
Developer Vistry Group, which also includes Bovis Homes and Linden Homes, then teamed up with the giant affordable housing provider Abri, and came back with a proposal that half the homes, or 54, would be classed as affordable, and let through the housing association.
The application was called in by local councillor Jos Clark after objections came in from the Arnos Vale Residents Association and Verve Properties, who created the Paintworks development nextdoor.
Verve’s bosses objected to the design of the blocks of flats and feared people would think it was part of the Paintworks building project.
But council planning officers recommended the plan for permission, saying the developer had changed it enough for it be given the go-ahead.
Vestry boss Marc Thompson said he was “delighted” work could now get underway.
“It’s great to be working with Abri again – together we’ve listened to Bristol City Council’s feedback to help shape our proposals,” he said.
“We’re delighted that we can now turn these proposals into reality and provide a new high-quality, sustainable and affordable community.”