Goram Homes to take on South Bristol’s flagship housing development

The Hengrove Park development in South Bristol will provide 1400 new homes, at least half of which will be affordable housing.

Goram Homes, Bristol City Council’s housing company, will deliver the new housing project, as part of the Council’s commitment to build 1000 affordable homes a year by 2024.

The affordable homes will be delivered as new council homes, which will include a mix of social rent and shared ownership, with the remainder of the homes for market sale.

Goram Homes will facilitate the use of innovative approaches, including Modern Methods of Construction (MMC), so that the homes can be delivered more quickly and to high environmental standards.

In December, the Council halted a procurement exercise to find a development partner for the scheme. This change of approach was taken to maximise the number of affordable homes, allow a greater proportion of the homes to be built using low carbon MMC, and help to transform Hengrove Park into a high-quality, sustainable neighbourhood and public park.

Cllr Tom Renhard, Cabinet Lead for Housing Delivery and Homes said: ‘Adding Hengrove Park to the Goram Homes pipeline is a clear signal of our intent to supercharge the delivery of affordable housing across Bristol. We’re committed to delivering 1,000 new affordable homes each year by 2024 to help meet the need for high-quality, sustainable new homes in the city. By working closely with Goram Homes, we can make sure that council land is best used to create value for Bristol’s citizens, helps to tackle the climate and ecological emergencies, and addresses inequalities in access to affordable housing.’

Stephen Baker, Managing Director at Goram Homes, added: ‘Hengrove Park is a fantastic opportunity for Goram Homes to build a highly sustainable, inclusive development which includes affordable homes in the numbers that our city needs. If our Business Plan and development pipeline is approved by Cabinet, we’ll work with council officers and the community to get started as soon as possible.’

In related news, the government’s Levelling Up White Paper sets out plans on improve the private rented sector, as well as boost SME housebuilders and regenerate areas, but the plans have been met with mixed reviews from the housing sector.

Photo supplied by Bristol City Council