![](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/3_View-of-new-housing-on-Goodneston-Road.jpg\")
Plans include as many as 1,600 new homes north of Goodneston Road in Fishponds and Hillfields(Image: Castel)<\/p>\n“Finding a house in Bristol is getting impossible”Plans include as many as 1,600 new homes north of Goodneston Road in Fishponds and Hillfields(Image: Castel)<\/p>\n
A group of Fishponds residents are campaigning for developers to include more ‘affordable’ rentals in their plans to build thousands of new homes in the area<\/a>. The development would be one of Bristol\u2019s biggest urban regeneration sites, and Fishponds Neighbours for Social Housing is now calling on the developers to designate half of the new homes for social rent.<\/p>\n At the moment, three different developers are planning to build more than 2,200 new homes on three industrial sites just south of the Bristol-Bath cycle path between Fishponds <\/a>and Hillfields. But so far, only 60 of them have been earmarked to be affordable social rent homes.<\/p>\n The residents behind the campaign, who have set up a petition<\/a>, predict this will mean the area will be gentrified and become out of the reach of most people needing homes locally. The three sites together have been named \u2018Atlas Place\u2019, and sit either side of Lodge Causeway.<\/p>\n A planning application is yet to be submitted for the biggest site, named the Timber Mills, which will detail exactly how many of the 1,600 proposed homes there will be classed as \u2018affordable\u2019. Local resident Thomas Youngman said the city council planners needed to step up and force developers to ensure at least half the new homes are for social rent.<\/p>\n \u201cFinding a house in Bristol is getting impossible – rents have skyrocketed<\/a> to 45% of incomes and house prices are little better,\u201d he said. \u201cPeople are being forced to leave their own city, or to live in vans.<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cI was shocked to see all three developers fail to meet the council’s affordable housing targets in their plans. It made me realise that it isn’t just people and businesses in the city centre at risk of displacement – places further out like Fishponds are at risk too.<\/p>\n \u201cI also started this campaign to stop people turning to racist far right conspiracy theories. Life in the UK is getting harder and harder. We need to unite as communities <\/a>to stand up for better housing and healthcare. It isn’t migrants that have made things worse – it is greedy, tax-dodging companies backed by neoliberal politicians.<\/p>\n \u201cBuilding more housing can help, but not if developers don’t respect Fishponds’ mix of social and private housing. Social rented housing is a bulwark against the housing emergency<\/a>,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n READ MORE: NHS needs \u00a33.2m from council to cope with East Bristol regeneration<\/a>READ MORE: Plans approved for 250 homes on former Bristol factory site<\/a><\/p>\n Bristol City Council<\/a>\u2019s stated policy is that any development should include at least 30 per cent \u2018affordable homes\u2019 – that could be homes for keyworkers like nurses and police officers, but is most likely to be for shared ownership or \u2018affordable rent\u2019 through a housing association, or \u2018social rent\u2019 either though the city council itself or a housing association, and let to people on Bristol\u2019s HomeChoice housing waiting list.<\/p>\n But developers have increasingly cited viability concerns for reducing the number of affordable homes in major developments, stating that they won\u2019t make any or enough profit if they are made to meet the council\u2019s policy minimum.<\/p>\n The GPI site<\/p>\n The first of the three Atlas Place developments has already been granted planning permission<\/a>. Local firm Graphic Packaging International (GPI) moved to a new home in Yate<\/a>, and then obtained planning permission for 252 new homes.<\/p>\n But councillors were told it would only be able to afford to include 22 per cent affordable housing, not 30 per cent – which equates to around 55 homes. And of those, a quarter would be shared ownership, leaving just 41 as social rent homes.<\/p>\n A report to councillors at the time explained why. \u201cThe affordable housing provision on site has been submitted with the council\u2019s affordable housing team prior to the submission of the application. It has been agreed through a review of the Financial Viability Assessment that the application can provide 22% affordable housing on site, equating to approximately 55 affordable homes,\u201d it added.<\/p>\n The Fishponds Neighbourhood for Social Housing campaign is now urging GPI to sell the development site to a housing association instead of a private developer, which could well increase the number of social rent homes there.<\/p>\n Central Fishponds<\/p>\n The second development site in Fishponds is called Central Fishponds, and a company has been set up by international-based investors that is simply called Central Fishponds Ltd. That firm has submitted a planning application to Bristol City Council for outline permission<\/a> to turn this site into 380 new homes, but have previously told council planning officers that they will only be able to include five per cent as affordable – just 19 homes.<\/p>\n A recent report by the council\u2019s officers as part of the planning application said that is not going to be good enough. \u201cThe Housing Strategy and Enabling (HSE) team appreciate the challenges to viability that are present on this brownfield site, and we understand that the Financial Viability Assessment provided by the applicant will be reviewed by our planning colleagues,\u201d a report said.<\/p>\n \u201cHowever, the tenure proposed does not support the delivery of Social Rent homes which is a priority for the council, and we would want to know the outcome of the review before agreeing to any proposals for the affordable housing contributions.<\/p>\n \u201cIn cases where the minimum proportion of affordable housing cannot be delivered, and there is a shortfall, we would expect the applicant to work with the council to explore options for maximising the level of affordable housing to bring it up to the minimum proportions. We also encourage applicants to work with the council to explore how additional affordable homes could be delivered,\u201d the report added.<\/p>\n Timber Mills<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/0_TCR_BRI_210323GraphicsFactoryBRI_05JPG.jpg\")
The site of Graphics Packaging International in Fishponds(Image: GPI)<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/0_Verona-House-Left-And-Filwood-House-Right.jpg\")
Verona House (left) and Filwood House (right), in front of one of the two landmark chimneys that would be retained(Image: Copyright Unknown)<\/p>\n
![](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/0_View-of-new-public-open-space-and-apartments-along-central-green-spine.jpg\")
View of the new public open space and apartments<\/p>\n