Bristol council agrees plan for 180 affordable modular homes

Bristol City Council has agreed to use disused land to provide over 180 affordable modular homes. 

Bonnington Walk, in Lockleaze, is a former allotment garden site but has been allocated for housing in Bristol’s Local Plan.

The council and its partner, The Bristol Housing Festival, will use the land to deliver modular homes that can be delivered quickly to help address the housing shortage.

Building modular homes involves building repeated sections in a factory, and then delivering them to the intended site.

The factory environment means that modular homes can be of higher quality and built to last because the components are built with strict quality control.

The council has been working in collaboration with Legal & General Modular Homes on the design of these homes, they are currently finalising plans for the submission of a full planning application.

According to the council, 51% of the homes will be affordable through a mixture of council housing and shared ownership.

Cllr Paul Smith, cabinet member for housing, said: ‘We’re doing everything we can to accelerate the building of housing across the city, especially council housing.

‘Working in partnership with Legal & General Modular Homes means homes will be manufactured offsite and completed onsite, allowing much-needed family homes to be built in days instead of months.

‘It is particularly important to be building homes that people can afford. This development far exceeds the council’s affordable housing guidelines for developments outside the central area of the city.’

Rosie Toogood, CEO at Legal & General Modular Homes, said: ‘Our advanced technology and innovative design deliver high-quality homes incorporating improvements in building fabric and low carbon technologies, ensuring all our homes come with an Energy Performance Certificate A, which means they are in the top 1% for energy efficiency in the country.

‘We are determined that Bonnington Walk will be an exemplar of innovation and sustainability.’

In August last year, NewStart travelled to Bristol to see if the city’s reputation for creativity and innovation can help tackle some of its infamous inequalities. Thomas Barrett met Melissa Mean, the driving force behind the innovative We Can Make project. Melissa Mean is determined to create a model that reconnects communities to housebuilding and utilises what she calls the ‘trades galore’ within the area.

Photo Credit — Pixabay