Huge new expansion to Bristol beyond M4 takes step forward

The next big extension to the suburban area of Bristol has taken another step forward, with housing association and social enterprise Places for People securing land on the edge of the city that it says it wants to build more than 2,000 new homes on. Places for People said it has signed deals with landowners who own vast swathes of the countryside to the north and east of Lyde Green, and next year will begin to outline how and when it wants to build a total of 2,050 new homes on it. The development looks set to be the first extension of Bristol's wider urban area that goes north of the M4.

Until now, the expansion of the city into South Gloucestershire[1], with developments like Emersons Green and Lyde Green, have been contained by the M4 as a boundary and the former railway line that's now The Dramway, to the east. But the new 2025 South Gloucestershire Local Plan[2], which this autumn was submitted to the Government's Planning Inspector for approval, creates something called 'the North Lyde eco-tech village', with a huge triangle-shaped area north of the M4 and south of Westerleigh Road, which will be transformed with thousands of new homes, a new school and an extension of the Bristol and Bath[3] Science Park.

Options on much of that land, in a 'secured subject to planning' deal, have been obtained by Places for People, who said it would represent 'one of the region's most significant mixed-use opportunities'. Places for People said it would deliver more than the 30 per cent affordable homes requirement. "This is an important opportunity to plan a new neighbourhood carefully and responsibly, with people and place at its heart," said Andrew Usher, PfP's group managing director of developments.

"By working with local residents, the council, and other local groups, we want to create a place that feels connected to its surroundings with well-designed homes, green spaces, safe walking and cycling routes, and the facilities communities rely on. "Our focus is on long-term stewardship and doing things properly, so the new neighbourhood adds value to the wider area for many years to come.

Andrew Usher, Places for People's group managing director of developments. (Image: Places for People)

"There's no delivery partner quite like us. Our unique social enterprise model enables us to deliver homes at the pace and scale required, while ensuring long-term value for communities," he added.

The 'Ecotech village' would see a large technology and science park, 2,050 new homes, extra care accommodation - an elderly care home or sheltered housing site, green spaces and a new primary school. Places for People have gone into partnership with a development firm called St Congar - which was set up more than 20 years ago by Miff Chichester and named after the saint who gave Congresbury its name - where Mr Chichester is from. "North of Lyde Green sits at the heart of one of the South West's most dynamic growth corridors," he said.

North Lyde Eco Tech Village will extend the urban area of Bristol to the north of the M4 for the first time. It will be created on what is currently, in 2025, Green Belt land inside a triangle formed by the M4, Westerleigh Road and the railway line spur from Yate.

Thousands of homes, an extension to the Bristol & Bath Science Park, a new school and areas of green spaces will be created. (Image: Google Earth)

"We are proud to have brought this opportunity forward and to see it underpinned by institutional investment and a proven delivery partner in Places for People.

"It reflects the kind of strategic land opportunity we specialise in by unlocking complex sites, through collaboration and long-term vision, seeking to deliver sustainable, deliverable developments of similar ambition," he added.

References

1. ^ South Gloucestershire (www.bristolpost.co.uk)
2. ^ the new 2025 South Gloucestershire Local Plan (www.bristolpost.co.uk)
3. ^ Bath (www.bristolpost.co.uk)