More for the Future

2. To build much-needed new homes

Building more new homes is one of the most pressing challenges facing the UK.

For a generation, a lack of supply of new homes has forced up the cost of housing. The West of England region needs to build over 100,000 new homes in the next 10 years to meet demand. Yet at the current approved density, Brabazon would feel like a sleepy suburb.

3. To build more sustainably

We also face a climate and ecological emergency. We therefore not only need to build homes, but also build them in the right places.

That means building on brownfield land, like Brabazon. Otherwise, more new homes will be proposed on the Green Belt.

It means building homes on public and active transport corridors so that people have a real alternative to using private cars. Brabazon is located on an existing trainline, an existing MetroBus route and the Concorde Way Cycle Path. It is also within walking distance of the major employment centres of North Bristol.

Nowhere in the West of England is better placed than Brabazon to deliver the homes our region needs in a way that is environmentally and economically sustainable.

How many homes are being proposed?

Brabazon currently has permission to build 2,675 new homes under the planning consent granted in 2018.

Brabazon is a constituent part of the Cribbs-Patchway New Neighbourhood (CPNN) Agreement, which will deliver 5,700 new homes across North Bristol.

Under CPNN, the land occupied by Patchway Trading Estate was earmarked for 1,000 new homes. However, that project is no longer expected to go ahead.

The revised Masterplan for Brabazon seeks to transfer those 1,000 homes to Brabazon. This would increase the allocation at Brabazon to 3,675 but would not increase the total number of homes being built in North Bristol.

To build more than 3,675 new homes at Brabazon will require increased capacity and frequency on rail and bus services.

The revised Masterplan will include a flexible framework that will allow the number of homes built at Brabazon to increase beyond 3,675, provided that there is a proportionate increase in the capacity and frequency of public transport connections.

By putting the right framework in place now, we can evolve the plans for Brabazon as future demand dictates. The revised planning application will also ensure we can only build at the same pace as new infrastructure and transport connections come forward.

How will the growth of Brabazon benefit Bristol and South Gloucestershire?

The vision for Brabazon is to create a thriving and inclusive new community, where anyone, regardless of age or background, can find the right home for them.

Houses and apartments will be available of all sizes and under a variety of tenures.

If the rail and bus services improve, we could build over 1,000 affordable homes at Brabazon.

More jobs and opportunities

North Bristol is the centre of a world-leading cluster of aerospace, engineering and technology companies. The area's top 25 employers alone have over 45,000 staff within a few miles of Brabazon, mostly working in high-skilled roles.

For over 100 years, these cutting-edge companies have created jobs and opportunities across the region. But now there is almost no space for them to grow.

Brabazon already has consent for enough commercial space to support 10,000 jobs. But it could do much more.

With a revised Masterplan, Brabazon could provide the space, connectivity and opportunity for North Bristol’s commercial cluster to continue to thrive for another 100 years.

More for the community

The pandemic proved that the most successful and resilient neighbourhoods are the most diverse. People value being able to buy food, walk to a local park, cycle to work or access essential services like schools or health centres within a few minutes of home.

Brabazon has been designed from the outset to be a 15-minute neighbourhood where every daily essential – where you do your food shopping, where your kids go to school, where you’d go for an evening out - is a short walk or cycle ride away.

Under the existing Masterplan, Brabazon will be home to three new schools, a doctor’s surgery, a library, community spaces and sports facilities.