Construction underway on Hengrove Park’s first phase

Construction has begun on the first major phase of Hengrove Park, South Bristol’s new neighbourhood of 1,435 homes, with initial site preparation works underway.

Located on the site of the former Whitchurch Airport airfield, Hengrove Park is Bristol’s largest residential-led development in a generation. Around half of the homes will be affordable.

Hengrove Park Phase One will provide 209 homes at Hengrove Park, including 104 homes for social rent and shared ownership.

This follows the completion of Dundry View in May this year, the first residential development within the wider Hengrove Park masterplan. Located at the gateway to the new neighbourhood and owned by the council, Dundry View has already provided 27 social rented and 26 shared homes.

Alongside new homes, Phase One will deliver part of a new 22-hectare public park, including playing pitches, a sports pavilion, a scout hut, new transport connections, improved walking and cycling routes, and the development’s low-carbon energy centre.

Project Delivery

Hengrove Park Phase One is being brought forward through a long-standing partnership between Bristol City Council, Goram Homes and Vistry.

The development is also supported by almost £20 million of investment from the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority (WECA), alongside Homes England’s support, in enabling infrastructure works for the development.

Hengrove Park Phase One is also enabled by The Brownfield Land Release Fund (BLRF), as administered through One Public Estate by the Local Government Association, on behalf of the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), which provided £2.68mn to relocate St Bernadette’s Old Boys Rugby Football Club from Hengrove Park to a new base in Hartcliffe.

Dundry View and Phase One are the first stages of the wider Hengrove Park masterplan, which will transform the former airfield site into a new neighbourhood of 1,435 homes over the next decade.

Around half of the homes across the development will be affordable, alongside a range of community and commercial facilities, including a community building, sports pavilion, shops and business space.

Comments

Cllr Tony Dyer, leader of Bristol City Council, said:

“Hengrove Park has been years in the making and represents one of the most significant regeneration projects our city has seen for generations.

“We’re creating a new neighbourhood that will provide much-needed homes, including hundreds of affordable homes, alongside high-quality green space, community facilities, including sporting facilities, and infrastructure that people need to thrive.

“It’s another important step in our long-term commitment to investing in South Bristol.”

Cllr Barry Parsons, chair of the homes and housing delivery committee at Bristol City Council, said:

“This development will make a real difference to Bristol by delivering a place where people can access a range of housing, including high-quality homes for social rent, which is the most affordable housing tenure.

“Importantly, these homes will be centred around a new 22-hectare public park, designed to serve the new community and the surrounding neighbourhoods.

“This park will include significant investment in sports infrastructure, including new playing pitches and community facilities, providing the community with high-quality, inclusive spaces for recreation and wellbeing.”

Helen Godwin, mayor of the West of England, said:

“Hengrove Park shows what can be achieved when local and regional partners work together with a shared ambition to tackle the housing crisis.

“By investing nearly £20m in the infrastructure needed to unlock this site, we’re helping to build more affordable homes, better public spaces, and improved connections for local people.”

Stephen Baker, managing director of Goram Homes, said:

“Hengrove Park is a truly unique development in terms of what it will deliver for Bristol. Around half of its 1,400-plus homes will be affordable which is a level of affordable housing provision that’s rarely achieved on a development, let alone one of this scale.

“Alongside major investment in parks, community facilities and infrastructure, we’re creating a neighbourhood that will benefit Bristol for generations to come.”

Ronny Popat, operations director at Vistry, said:

“We’re delighted to have started work on the first phase of Hengrove Park. Initial activity is focused on preparing the site ahead of the main construction works, which will become increasingly visible over the coming months.

“This is an important investment in Bristol’s future and we’re proud to be delivering high-quality, energy-efficient homes to create a thriving new neighbourhood. The start of construction is the culmination of years of collaboration and we’re excited to see the vision for Hengrove Park become a reality.”

Image: Colin Bews, CC-BY-SA-2.0 https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hengrove_Park_-_geograph.org.uk_-_2487105.jpg. Cropped to fit website aspect ratio