‘I wish Goram Homes all the best in tackling Bristol’s housing crisis’

The housing crisis is one of the biggest challenges facing our city, especially for young Bristolians who see home ownership as a pipedream and the 21,000+ households on the social housing waiting list.

Taking meaningful action on this crisis was one of the key priorities of the previous Labour administration.

As part of a strategy to tackle it, we set up Goram Homes, a publicly-owned housing company to make the most of council-owned land, using it for publicly owned housing rather than selling it all off to developers.

Council companies are governed by certain national rules, so Goram has to partner with housing developers, using profit from market rate housing to fund homes for people on the council housing waiting list.

One Lockleaze, its first on-site development, will welcome new tenants this year.

Families who were living with the insecurity of the housing waiting list will soon be moving into council homes, which have won awards for both their affordability and sustainability.

Another two homes on site are children’s homes, which sit alongside a new skills academy – helping local people hone their skills and get well-paid jobs in the construction sector.

Formerly the location of Lockleaze School, the One Lockleaze site bridges Lockleaze and a new development at Cheswick Village to the north – image: Goram Homes

Last year, planning permission was granted for 130 new homes at New Fosseway Road in Hengrove, more than 100 of which will be affordable including 70 new extra care houses for older people, with proposed communal facilities like a cafe and a hairdresser.

Goram does more than just homes. It also built Castle Park Energy Centre, which provides clean energy to 1000 local homes and businesses using water from the harbour to power heat pumps.

Cheaper bills, less reliance on fossil fuels and profits going back to the taxpayer. Rightly lauded by all.

While these are the first of Goram’s developments to be completed, we have an ambitious pipeline for thousands of new homes.

Baltic Wharf, up to 100 per cent affordable as a mix of social rent and shared ownership, will build flats with a waterfront view in one of Bristol’s most desirable locations to people waiting for council housing.

The planned Baltic Wharf development is for 166 flats on the site of a current caravan park – image: Goram Homes

I was a director of Goram Homes for five years. I’m incredibly proud to have played a small part in their work to date.

Being a councillor is a tough job but it’s all worth it to know you have made a tangible, positive impact on people’s lives.

I’ve very much enjoyed my time on the board of Goram Homes but sadly, all good things must come to an end.

As Bristol City Council is now ruled by a coalition of Greens and Liberal Democrats, the council leader chose to replace me with someone from his own party, councillor David Wilcox.

I had hoped to continue my work on the board; I’ve got years of experience helping to plan and deliver council-owned homes.

But that’s fair enough; it’s the nature of party politics.

I am somewhat concerned, however, about what this appointment signals. David is a councillor for Lockleaze, where two of Goram’s key developments are underway including the aforementioned One Lockleaze.

He has objected to both of them, citing reasons like the roofs being a few metres too tall or the new homes not having enough access roads.

I hope that David accepted the nomination to Goram’s board as he’s undergone a Damascene conversion, having seen the light of council housing.

A cynic would look at his record and suspect he may be trying to grind sorely-needed council housing developments to a halt from the inside. I guess we’ll have to wait and see.

Labour councillor Don Alexander (left) and Green councillor Ed Plowden (right) at a rare moment of collaboration during the reopening of Kingsweston Iron Bridge – photo: Betty Woolerton

2024 is a crucial year for Goram. Under the previous Labour administration, we contracted it to work on a new council-owned housing site in Hengrove with 1,435 homes – half for social rent or shared ownership.

This will be the biggest council-owned housing scheme since Thatcher was prime minister.

Works have started on the Hengrove Bookends development, where 53 council homes will be available for social rent or shared ownership, and the second phase of this project has been granted planning permission.

With the potential to be quite lucrative, Green Party council chiefs will come under pressure to sell the site to a private developer.

I hope councillors will put their foot down, put politics aside and ensure one of the flagship proposals of the Labour administration is delivered, allowing some of the 21,000+ households on the council housing waiting list to move into new, sustainable council-owned homes in Hengrove.

I wish the Goram Homes team all the best in their future efforts tackling Bristol’s housing crisis, and will continue to support their work where I can.

This is an opinion piece by Don Alexander, Labour councillor for Avonmouth & Lawrence Weston and former cabinet member for transport 

Main photo: Martin Booth

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