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First new council homes in four years
The first new council homes to be built in Bristol since 2011 were unveiled on Wednesday less than a day after councillors voted on a new strategy to kickstart more house building and tackle the housing crisis.
Four new family homes were completed in Mill House, Easton, and Crabtree Walk, Eastville, as part of 100 which are planned over the next two years.
Councillors gave their support to a new five-year housing strategy, known as More Than a Roof, at a meeting on Wednesday which address the challenges with increasing the number of new homes.
is needed now More than ever
The move comes a week after Bristol24/7 revealed that just a third of new developments in Bristol were hitting the council’s policy of 30 per cent affordable homes. About 11,000 families are on the council’s waiting list for affordable homes.
City mayor George Ferguson originally said it was his ambition to build 1,000 affordable homes by 2016. But a year into his first term he admitted the target would not be reached.
At the unveiling of two new council homes on Mill House on Wednesday, he said building more affordable homes in the city was still one of his top priorities.
“I have been determined to deliver more affordable homes since I came into office, and I am extremely pleased that we are now working to increase the numbers of new council homes,” he said.
He added: “While I am delighted to see the first of these new properties available for occupations, we are under increasing financial pressures due to changes in national legislation, and there is much more still to do to make sure everyone in the city has a place to call home.”
Two other new family homes were unveiled at Crabtree Walk. All four will join 100 which are expected to be completed in the next two years in St George, Lawrence Hill, Hillfields and Kingsweston.
The new homes have been paid for through limited revenue generated from rent of council-owned social housing. Changes to Government legislation have allowed councils to retain council rents instead of sending them to Whitehall.
The last council houses to be built in Bristol were complete in 2011 using Government grants. The council has also replaced 330 prefab homes with new council homes over the last five years through a cross-subsidy scheme with Bovis Homes.
The state of the housing crisis in Bristol was laid bare in the More Than a Roof housing strategy report which showed private developers are “land-banking” – sitting on land with development potential while its value increases.
The report, triggered by the mayor’s Housing Commission, showed there is planning permission for 6,2084 new homes in Bristol, but construction work has not started.
Average house prices in Bristol have risen by about 10 per cent in the past year as demand continues to outstrip supply.