Kirstie McCrum Network Content Editor
12:14, 29 May 2025
The scheme is being run by Bristol City Council and other stakeholders(Image: Getty Images)
Bristol is to take part in a new social homes trial to help tackle the ongoing housing crisis.
The government scheme will make the most of smaller plots of council owned land in urban areas.
The Small Sites Aggregator is a new approach aimed towards making small council owned sites more viable for developing social rent homes.
It’s hoped that the scheme will help tackle the ongoing housing crisis and temporary accommodation challenges, with a priority to move households with children out of long-term managed homelessness.
The new scheme has been launched by the Ministry for Housing, Communities, and Local Government, with £3 million of government investment secured.
It draws on the concept developed by the Social Housing Initiative convened by Lloyds Banking Group and aims to bring key stakeholders together to identify and develop sites quickly.
A spokesperson for Bristol City Council said: “The pathfinder in Bristol will see the council work with the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority, Lloyds Banking Group, small medium enterprise (SME) housebuilders and modern methods of construction (MMC) housing developers, and finance partners to find ways of overcoming the challenges of developing small sites.
“Across an urban area, smaller sites have the potential to make a significant contribution to the delivery of much needed social rent housing.
“These sites however are often difficult to develop due to their size and relative complexity, often leading to high pre-development costs and challenges in securing planning permission.”
Charlie Nunn, chief executive officer, Lloyds Banking Group, said: “We strongly welcome the Government’s announcement today that it will pilot the Small Sites Aggregator in Bristol, Sheffield and Lewisham. Bristol is pioneering the development of underutilised brownfield land into good quality housing that meets the needs of local communities.
Helen Godwin, West of England mayor, said: “The West of England has a really important part to play as the country works to build 1.5 million new homes.
“We hope to show that small sites can have a mighty impact, bolstered by new funding, and provide permanent social rent homes for families stuck in temporary accommodation.”
Tony Dyer, Leader of Bristol City Council, said: “Having a safe and good standard home is one of the most important influences on a person’s wellbeing and quality of life. The challenge we face is how to deliver enough good quality homes at the scale needed to meet our city’s growing need for housing.”
Bristol has an existing commitment to the development of its small sites utilising SME and MMC developers. Hollister’s Drive in Hartcliffe is one of five small sites being developed with an MMC supplier. A similar project at Marshall Walk in Knowle has also demonstrated the benefits of using small sites to build new homes.
Both projects are being delivered by the council’s Housing Revenue Account team, working in partnership with developers Edaroth and Zed Pods respectively. These new small sites build on other successful projects such as Hope Rise in St George, New Kingsland in Henbury and Bell Close in Horfield.