Bristol’s community housing success story

It might not single-handedly solve Bristol’s housing crisis, but a ground-breaking project in Fishponds has certainly transformed the lives of the people who now call it home.

As the city’s first community-led development celebrated its official opening, Bristol24/7 discovered some of the individual stories beyond the bricks and mortar.

Hidden behind wooden fencing, just up from Eastville Park on Fishponds Road, the Bristol Community Land Trust (BCLT) homes surround a thriving garden, where new saplings grow and cheerful displays of flowers decorate long, wooden picnic benches.

“The best thing about living here is knowing my son can run free and have all this safe, enclosed space,” says Abi Kennedy.

Abi Kennedy with her son, Theo

She is happy to pose for a photo with her five-year-old son, Theo, but says that first she will have to identify which house he is in by scanning the piles of shoes at the doors.

This epitomises the genuine community that has formed among a set of people, unable to buy their own property on the open market and willing to work on seeking an alternative solution.

“I started going to the BCLT meetings about four years ago when Theo was a baby,” continues Abi.

“At the time, I was on my own with him and I was looking at shared ownership schemes because I couldn’t afford to buy my own house on the open market, so it was my only hope.

“I had given up hope and thought it would never happen because there were many issues along the way, but then I got an email out of the blue, saying it was going ahead and I had been allocated a house.

“When we started building, I was working and Theo was at nursery and I had to drop him at a friend’s house so I could come and work on the house. It’s not been easy, we have all really struggled to find the time.

“Now, the kids all go around together and they have so much freedom – I just feel really lucky. The children Theo is growing up with are just like his family now. It has totally changed our lives because I would have been in some rented accommodation, claiming housing benefit if I didn’t have this.”

The council’s cabinet member for housing, Paul Smith, praised the project and said it is a testament to everyone involved, before cutting the ribbon

The 12-home development of a converted old school and new housing was built on land acquired by Bristol City Council and the properties are a mix of shared ownership and affordable rent.

A unique feature of the project is that the residents were involved at every stage of the development and invested ‘sweat equity’, putting in hours to help build and finish their own homes, from installing kitchens, to laying the flooring.

Steve Moore

“We were meeting once a week to work out what materials we were going to use and what our training needs were,” says resident Steve Moore on the process of making the housing project a reality.

“When they put the bid into the main contractor, they cut out things they thought we could do, such as flooring and fitting the kitchens. We had a timesheet and kept track of the time we put in in ‘sweat equity’.

“That’s one of the most important things about this project and when we are working together, we bonded so when we did finally move in, we all basically new each other.

“I lived further down Fishponds Road before, in a little studio space and when I moved in here, my rent dropped right down.

“It really is the neighbours that make it. I can’t imagine anywhere else I would be now – I love the area and I love these people now.”

Keith Cowling

Keith Cowling, chair of BCLT’s volunteer board, has believed in the project from the start and played an integral role in getting it off the ground.

Speaking on Monday, he admits it has been challenging to say the least and nearly failed on more than one occasion.

“This little development has changed a number of lives and they all have their own moving stories,” says Cowling.

“Until we proved that we could build houses, CLT didn’t warrant much attention, but now we have proved we can, everything has changed.

“Although this programme hasn’t solved the problems of how to build a lot of high quality, low cost homes, it has shown that a solution is possible. The project has created a process for a bunch of Bristol people in housing need.”

Natalia Colville and Tom Billington

Natalia Colville was one such person, struggling to make ends meet paying for a private rental as a single parent in Bristol.

“I spent more than ten years touring with the circus but wanted to settle when my son needed to go to school,” she says.

“Moving here means I have total security and there is there is no way I would be able to afford to buy a house otherwise. It has made a huge difference to our lives.”

The circus producer and festival/street theatre programmer now lives with her 14-year-old son, Zac, and partner Tom Billington. They have another child on the way and say the sense of community is a blessing, especially for many families, while those who prefer to live their own lives in privacy are free to do so.

Jackson Moulding

Credited with helping get the innovative BCLT project off the ground, Jackson Moulding, director of Ecomotive, says: “I was lucky enough to get in at the right place, at the right time, to build a home. It made me think ‘we have got to find a way to empower people to be involved in their own projects’.

“That process addresses affordable housing need, while also growing a community from the beginning. By involving residents, we are creating homes rather than just houses.”

Housing association United Communities worked with BCLT on the Fishponds development and following its success, plans for more joint ventures are on the cards.

The next project is for a 49-home sustainable, community development in Lockleaze was given the green light by Bristol City Council’s planning committee on Wednesday (September 27), when members unanimously voted in favour of the proposal.

Read more: Very Bristol solutions to the housing crisis