Bristol’s Mayor, Marvin Rees, has today visited the new Brooks Dye Works development in St. Werburghs where Bristol City Council are purchasing affordable homes. The Acorn Property Group led development, in conjunction with Hallsall Construction Ltd and Galliard Homes, is delivering 112 homes on the site of the historic dye works, breathing new life into the disused site to complement the surrounding area.
Bristol City Council is purchasing 24 affordable homes at Brooks Dye Works. These homes will become part of the council’s housing stock, and will all be available at a social rent. This is the first time Bristol City Council has purchased properties from private developers in the city. Purchasing homes being delivered by private developers/housebuilders as part of their planning consent, is a cost-effective and scalable way of contributing to the council’s aspirations to significantly increase the delivery of new council owned homes in the city.
As well as the Mayor, the site visit was attended by; Councillor Tom Renhard, Cabinet Member for Housing Delivery and Homes, Gary Winsor, Operations Director of Halsall Construction Ltd and Don O’Sullivan, CEO of Galliard Homes and Robin Squire, Regional MD of Acorn Property Group’s Bristol Region.
The affordable homes are a mix of 17 one- and two-bedroom apartments and 7 two-bedroom houses. The homes will have access to the communal open space on the development in addition to new pedestrian routes linking to surrounding areas and Mina Road Park.
Mayor Rees said: “Building homes and developing communities remains one of our top priorities, and I am pleased to see that this site has paid tribute to the historic factory that has stood here for many years.“We are committed to delivering affordable homes through whatever route is available to us. Where possible we are building directly, both adding to our council home stock and building for the wider market.
“Alongside this we are securing affordable homes by buying them directly from the developer, as well as supporting our housing association partners to bring forward their own land-led housing sites and releasing council land for affordable housing delivery by community–led groups and housing associations.
“We know that we cannot solve the housing crisis alone. We need to work with a range of partners and the Brooks Dye Works site is a fantastic example of this partnership work in action.”
Councillor Tom Renhard, Cabinet Member for Housing Delivery and Homes said: “We are delighted to be taking on 24 new council houses, which will provide much needed additional homes for families on the waiting list. We know the difference a stable housing situation can make, and we will continue to do what we can to get more affordable homes built in the city.”
Brooks Dye Works is the redevelopment of a historic dye and laundry works, a Victorian family-owned factory that operated for 135 years. The four-acre industrial site had lain vacant for over a decade after the factory closed in 1997. The development is centred around the factory’s iconic nineteenth-century chimney, with new open public space being created alongside pedestrian routes to link with Mina Road Park and surrounding area.
The new houses have been constructed using renewable timber frame, and sustainable features across the development include smart meters, a sustainable drainage system, triple glazed windows to maximise each home’s insulation, and secure cycle storage. The construction is being led by regional award winning specialist Halsall Construction Ltd, with the retention of the original dye works’ chimney a core element of the new development. Construction began 2019 and the first residents are now moved in.
Other attendees to the site visit included Phillip Edwards, Contracts Manager from Halsall Construction Ltd, George Baffoe-Djan, Head of Strategic Partnerships from Galliard Homes, and from Acorn Property Group; David Gittins, Regional Construction Director; Amy Proctor, Strategic Partnerships Manager and Patrick Reilly, Consultant at LMA Housing Services.
Robin Squire, Regional Managing Director at Acorn Property Group’s Bristol Office commented: “We are pleased that our 24 affordable homes at Brooks Dye Works have been purchased by Bristol City Council and will contribute towards the council’s much-needed affordable housing stock. New homes on this scale within the city has been rare of recent, therefore we are delighted that we are able to deliver a scheme like Brooks Dye Works which not only has great environmental credentials, but is designed to integrate with the existing St Werburghs community by opening up access from the development to Mina Road Park, as well as new pedestrian routes linking to the surrounding areas.”
Don O’Sullivan, CEO of Galliard Homes commented: “It is wonderful to see this new residential area being brought to life at Brooks Dye Works. The provision of high-quality, modern affordable homes is essential for every city and we are proud to be working with Bristol City Council to deliver these homes.”
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