Bristol Community Housing

BACKGROUND

Water penetration had been a problem for homes in Upper Horfield since the 1980s, with damp prevalent in most houses.  Due to constant moisture and cold within the homes, many residents suffered from related illnesses such as asthma and rheumatism, and the 2001 census revealed high levels of long-term illness across the estate.  In turn, sickness caused further problems such as low school attendance and lost work days for employers.

Residents on the estate had lived in their homes for a number of years, and the area had a large number of elderly people, with many aged over 60.  The majority of residents were also in receipt of benefits, meaning that they were unable to consider leaving the estate by buying their own properties. 

With public spending lower during the 1980s than at current levels, external funding to rectify these problems wasn't initially available.  Bristol City Council instead planned to reinforce the affected buildings, and refurbish those in the worst condition.  However, after attempting this on several buildings, it soon proved uneconomical.  The City Council then commenced partial demolition of the estate, and a few of the worst-affected houses were rebuilt.

A change in approach was put in place in the 1990s, when the Council began to look at cross-subsidisation.  It agreed to give the land to a newly-formed housing association, and Bristol Community Housing Foundation (BCHF) was created.  Bristol City Council continues to manage demolition, and has three places on the Foundation's Board.  The new Housing Foundation however ensures interaction between the Council and the local community.  As well as the three local councillors, its constitution now stipulates that its Board must include local tenants. 

Once the housing association was registered with the housing corporation, BCC could transfer the land in phases to BCHF.  BCHF could then sell half of the former Council-owned land to private developer, Bovis.  The profit from the land sale partly enabled the Foundation to employ Bovis as the builder, with the remaining finance raised through a loan.  This loan will be repaid using the rent collected from the new homes. 

Rather than dictating the design of the new estate, the Foundation is committed to empowering residents to create their community themselves.  A Tenants' Panel meets every month for any resident to attend and discuss policies and new arrangements.  Issues raised are then passed on to the main Board. 

A third of the main Board can be made up of tenant members, with the remaining two thirds made up of independent members and local authority representatives.  The Foundation also provides access to a Residents' Network, attended by the landlords and residents of other housing associations.  This network meets twice a year, enabling residents to share ideas between associations.

DETAIL

When finished, 936 houses will be built, 535 of which will be sold by Bovis on the open market.  Prices currently start at £153,950.  The other 401 homes will remain owned by BCHF, and will be rented out to those who previously lived on the estate, plus households currently on the City Council's waiting list.  The houses owned by BCHF range between two, three, and four-bedroom homes, whereas those being sold on the open market are mainly either two-bedroom apartments or three-bedroom townhouses. 

Unusually, all the homes are mixed together.  From the street, the difference between the houses is almost impossible to spot, and only really identifiable by the buildings' heights (the Foundation's tend to be two-storey, and the others three-storey).

The Foundation has spent a lot of effort communicating with residents to ensure that the transition period is as smooth as possible.  As well as meeting residents face-to-face on a daily basis and basing its office on the estate, a newsletter called ‘Foundation News' has been created, and is distributed every quarter. 

The Foundation has also been careful to preserve a sense of community among those who previously lived on the estate.  Before demolishing all the 1920s homes, it ran a very successful history project called ‘Capturing Memories', using a former home as a temporary museum including original decoration and a display about the history of the area.  All information was compiled by local residents themselves and, following funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund, training was provided and expenses paid to encourage wide community involvement. 

Other wider cultural issues are being considered as the number and profile of residents changes.  The last census data found that 14% of local residents belonged to a black or ethnic minority group, however that figure has now risen to 20%, leading to efforts to manage the integration of the different ethnic communities and to counter potential racism.   For example, working with older children and drama group ACTA, a play about communities living together is to be written and performed to encourage understanding between the various ethnic groups and generations on the estate.

RESULTS

Once the decision had been taken to rebuild the homes, the first phase was completed in just 18 months.  The area has been divided into four phases of development.  Two have been completed so far and work is now beginning on the third.  On average, three new families have moved into the houses each week.  The whole development is expected to take five and a half years to complete and will be finished by late 2008. 

With Bovis agreeing to a fixed-price build deal over five years, the developer is under pressure to deliver the project efficiently.  Overall, the development is currently running on time and on budget, a significant achievement for such a large project.  Bovis has in turn benefited from a fixed land price, despite Bristol's rapid increase in land value. 

The Foundation is keen to gauge feedback from the community on the process, and throughout the project it is collecting data to measure its impact.  It recently found that a huge majority (97%) were at least ‘satisfied' with the process of moving, the design and layout of their new homes, and the overall service provided by the Foundation.

Nearly all the former residents have been re-housed, and the Foundation is now providing homes to people on the Council's waiting list.  The Foundation has been careful to ensure that those re-housed are moved as smoothly as possible, taking account of preferences towards location on the estate and choice of finishes within the homes.

The project was a runner-up in the Chartered Institute of Housing's 2004 national ‘Best UK Regeneration Project' award, and was awarded a silver award in the Daily Telegraph's ‘What House' awards 2005.  It has also been shortlisted for a Guardian 2006 Public Service Award.

In addition, the ‘Capturing Memories' project was awarded ‘Best Community Heritage Project' by the Heritage Lottery fund. 

CONCLUSIONS

Both sides took risks on this project.  In agreeing a fixed-price deal to build the homes, Bovis gambled on the market remaining buoyant and costs of materials remaining stable.  This gamble paid off, as although the housing market looked to have flattened out in 2005, it is now strong once again. 

Both the Foundation and Bovis admit that there has been a learning curve throughout the development.  In a slightly unusual step, a decision was originally taken to give pedestrians priority on the estate's newly-created streets.  In total, 45 acres of ‘homezone' have been created using block-paving, with no pavements meaning that cars and pedestrians share the same surface.   Though the early streets feature a large amount of this block paving, newer ones have tried to use less, taking account of residents' feedback.  The team has also improved energy efficiency, increased the size of some homes, and altered the spacing of houses in the more recently-built phases to feature a variety of angles rather than straight roads.

One of the major positive outcomes of the project however has been the Foundation's close work with a number of agencies in the area.  Through beginning a community cohesion initiative called ‘Building Together', the Foundation has encouraged a number of services (including youth services, schools, and GPs) to consider and plan for the potential impact of the building work and increasing numbers of residents. 

Following the success of this project, Bovis is now about to agree a similar deal to build 1,070 units to replace wartime pre-fabricated units at 15 other sites across Bristol with BCC.

Debbie Morgan, an Upper Horfield resident said:
"I love my new home.  Moving into a Foundation home has done wonders for my family.  For the first time my daughter got 100 per cent attendance at school after years of being off ill with asthma."

Hayley Pinkard added:
"I was brought up in this area so I know the streets well, but it is hard to recognise now because they have changed so much.  The changes are great.  They have made the houses really tidy.  We have three bedrooms and a lovely garden for the kids to play in, and because it's a cul-de-sac it feels really safe."

DOS AND DON'TS

Do

• Involve the community in the planning process early on
• With other agencies, plan ahead for the knock-on effects of a  population increase
• Sign fixed-price agreements where possible.  That way everybody  knows where they stand
• Work with younger residents to encourage community cohesion  between different cultural groups
• Create mixed estates of private and housing association homes
• Build evaluation into key stages of the project

Don't

• Ignore people's emotional attachment to old houses.  The  ‘Capturing Memories' project recognised this and celebrated it
• Adopt a ‘one size fits all' policy towards estate layout and  visual appearance
• Ignore the impact of buy-to-let on mixed tenure developments

FIND OUT MORE
www.bchf.co.uk
www.bristol-city.gov.uk
www.uhct.co.uk