CARIDON HELPING COMBAT BRISTOL’S HOUSING CRISIS

3rd April 2024

A partnership between local providers of Social and Affordable Housing has been created in the drive to bring forward crucial new social housing in Bristol as the numbers in temporary accommodation and on housing waiting lists in the City swell to new heights.

According to local homeless charities, 130 people are sleeping rough in the city on any given night with 1,200 in temporary accommodation and 19,000 on waiting lists for housing.

After a period of thorough research and assessment, Caridon and its investment partners have identified a site based in the car park of their Bristol development Parkview, Whitchurch Lane which will facilitate the development of 49 new, mainly family, homes for 100% Affordable Housing. The homes will be developed by Freemantle, in partnership with LiveWest, a local Housing Association. A Planning Application has been submitted this week, proposing 43 houses and six apartments, which will represent a mix of low-cost rent and shared ownership tenure.

Caridon provides 486 apartments at its Parkview site, along with a range of facilities and support services. 316 of these homes are available to Bristol City Council to house the homeless. In addition to housing provision, Caridon ensures the well-being and engagement of its residents through a variety of facilities and support services, provided at no extra cost.

These extra amenities include two fully equipped gyms, an all-weather play area, and an indoor soft play centre for families. Additionally, residents have access to IT suites for educational and professional development purposes, as well as access to a wellbeing zen garden, providing a tranquil space for relaxation and reflection.

Caridon's community engagement officer also collaborates with community partners to deliver tailored engagement services, such as events and skills workshops, based on resident feedback and demographics. A range of additional services, including job placement assistance, skills development programs, and mental health resources, are also provided by external partners.

The existing car park at Caridon’s development is underused and after consultation and assessments provided by various planning, traffic and road experts, it was designated as an opportunity to provide a number of windfall dwellings whilst over 200 car parking spaces remain to support existing tenants at Imperial Apartments.

Work is proposed to start on site in 2025, with completion of the new homes by end of 2027.

A spokesperson for Caridon said: “We see the housing crisis in Bristol every day and are stepping up our mission to support housing the homeless in the City. We identified that the car park at our existing social housing scheme is underused and saw an opportunity for development on part of it that will support more delivery of affordable accommodation that is greatly needed, more than ever in the area. We are always looking for ways to collaborate with other parties on this mission and will shortly be working on a campaign to raise more awareness about the need to support delivery of social housing, particularly in Bristol.”

The site lies on the Southeast corner of the car park at Imperial Apartments and has no specific land use designations attributed to it. Construction traffic will use the same access point but will not access the car park or same entry roads thereafter – the site will be kept completely separate. Tenants at the development have been informed of the plans and reassured that there are no adverse impacts expected to them.