Masterplanning a change in tenure, Bristol

The process so far

Housing co-ordinator Alan McDade overlooking shops that will be redeveloped into housing

• March 2002 Stage one report produced by Shepheard Epstein Hunter as basis for masterplan
• July 2002 City council approves £1.95 million contribution to original masterplan. This includes demolition of three blocks of flats, construction of up to 160 mainly family homes via housing associations and CCTV in seven of eight tower blocks
• August 2002 Community-led New Deal for Communities board endorses masterplan, but exclude demolition of one block of flats and CCTV (until tenants have agreed to pay up to £5 per week service charge)
• Summer 2002 Funding of £10,000 obtained from ODPM and the Housing Corporation to carry out an options study on tenant management of remaining social housing in the NDC area
• September 2002 Tender pack produced for housing associations to bid for new build of up to 160 new houses/flats dispersed through the whole NDC area including a part of the riverside Temple Quays area scheduled for major new private housing development. Aim to spread development in small locations across whole area and concentrate all management within one housing association consortium. Consortium also required to build resident/tenant capacity
• November 2002 Sovereign and Solon housing associations appointed to develop new homes. Extensive discussions and consultations go on. NDC agrees to fund tenants' CCTV service costs for duration of NDC programme
• June 2003 Sovereign Housing funds resident participation officer for Barton Hill, for one year, to support resident input into design aspects of new build parts of masterplan.
• November 2003 NDC board approves amended masterplan, involving investment of around £12 million spend on 160 future family homes, improving access, providing safer walking routes and traffic calming, giving natural surveillance to provide greater safety and reduced CCTV for all eight remaining blocks
• December 2003 NDC board calls in masterplan, partly in response to some tenant objections. Neighbourhood renewal adviser Steven Hill supports board to clarify what they have and haven't agreed to
• February 2004 Chetwood and Hartland low rise blocks totalling 59 flats are demolished
• June 2004 Masterplan re-confirmed by board
• June 2004 Frank Brady, long standing city council neighbourhood housing officer based in Barton Hill, is appointed consultation co-ordinator for the block security project
• June 2004 Bristol City council cabinet approves Barton Hill new masterplan, with an aspirational 'option 3' to include redevelopment of new shops into housing and relocating shops, totalling up to £19 million, dependent on any funding gaps being bridged by NDC
• July 2004 Local lettings policy agreed with council. Residents' charter agreed with Sovereign and Solon
• July 2004 City Council cabinet approves masterplan 'option 3' which will deliver over 95 more homes than other options previously considered. The NDC has outlined a commitment of £6,591,000 to this project
• Summer 2004 NDC persuades Sovereign to employ an officer to source local labour, supplies etc for construction works, to be recruited November/December 2004. Joint funding from Sovereign and Bovis Homes who will be building the homes
• Summer/autumn 2004 Housing Transformation Plan for 2005-2015 is prepared by NDC housing coordinator Alan McDade supported by planning consultants Capital Action. Their work is to be informed by the results of masterplanning consultation
• September 2004 Work on 60 new two and three bedroom houses starts