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Pledge that major regeneration project ‘won’t lead to gentrification’
A major regeneration project for an inner city Bristol neighbourhood “won’t lead to gentrification” council leaders have pledged.
One thousand new homes and 500 student beds are planned for the St Jude’s area behind Cabot Circus and next to the M32.
The area is currently mostly made up of warehouses, and is home to music venues and gyms like the Jam Jar, Lost Horizon and Trojan Free Fighters.
is needed now More than ever
Bristol City Council has promised to keep community and cultural spaces protected as part of the Frome Gateway regeneration.
1,000 new homes and 500 student beds are planned for the St Jude’s area behind Cabot Circus and next to the M32 – map: Bristol City Council
The project is expected to last 15 years, covering an area that includes Houlton Street, Wade Street, Wellington Road, Pennywell Road and Riverside Park, east of Newfoundland Way and the bottom end of the M32.
The cabinet approved a regeneration plan on Tuesday.
During a cabinet meeting, mayor Marvin Rees said: “What we don’t want is a regeneration that steamrollers over existing communities. We want to tackle gentrification and make sure that the benefits are kept locally. That’s not just for the people who live in the area, but that means local skills and supply chains and benefiting Bristol businesses.
“Our community development team over the last few years, led by Mohammed Elsharif, has done absolutely incredible work engaging with local residents in the area. We’ve had great events at the mixed martial arts space. Local people have had the opportunity to share their vision for this regeneration opportunity.”
Councillor Asher Craig, cabinet member for children’s services, education and equalities, added: “I was speaking at an event a couple of weeks ago with property developers about how we understand they’re in it to make money at the end of the day, but what they can’t do is displace certain communities — particularly in terms of the whole gentrification.”
A major regeneration project for St Jude’s “won’t lead to gentrification” council leaders have pledged – photo: Martin Booth
Gentrification happens when a poorer urban area is changed, with wealthier people moving in, housing improving, and new businesses attracted to the area. This can lead to locals having to move out of the area as housing costs rise, and has previously happened in several parts of Bristol.
A public consultation held last autumn found that while there was broad support for the plans, the concerns raised most often were around gentrification and house prices, as well as the hundreds of new students living in the area. Other concerns include the height of new buildings.
A local lettings policy will help ensure local people have priority for new affordable homes, and some homes will be reserved for key workers, such as nurses, who can struggle to afford to live in the city near major employment centres like the Bristol Royal Infirmary.
The regeneration plan also includes new shops, cafes and workspaces, and opening up access to the River Frome.
Tom Renhard, cabinet member for housing delivery, said: “There’s a projected delivery of 1,000 homes which is really good news for the city. We’re quite a significant landowner in the area, so we’ve got that extra leverage we can utilise to make sure that we do get as much affordable housing as possible, as part of building mixed and balanced communities.
“There’s a role that key workers can play within that. One of the things we’ve got challenges with is certain professions at the moment, particularly in the NHS and social care and hospitality.”
Bristol City Council has promised to keep community and cultural spaces protected as part of the Frome Gateway regeneration – image: Bristol City Council
According to the regeneration plan, a dedicated light-industrial and night-time economy area will be created to the north of the area, benefiting from access to the M32 and separation from the residential-focused area further south.
The council is committing to the provision of commercial, community and cultural space across the ground floors.
A freight consolidation hub will be created in Universal House, a council-owned building, for last-mile logistics.
This would see deliveries via cargo bike or smaller electric vehicles taking goods from the hub into the city centre, to reduce the amount of vans and lorries needed.
An energy centre will also be created at the council-owned depot on Wellington Road, to provide hot water for a district heat network. This will likely be a large gas boiler.
Alex Seabrook is a local democracy reporter for Bristol
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