Glencoyne Square Community-led Housing Project

• Work to prepare Glencoyne Square continues
• Final responses to planning are submitted
• Planning decision expected in the summer
• £7.6m CIL funding is approved for the ground floor community and business space
• Plans for the sewer under Glencoyne Square to be diverted in the autumn

• Revision of designs made after online community survey
• Community drop in event at Greenway with the architects Nash Partnership to look at revised designs
• Revised plans submitted and live for public comment
• Team starts work to respond to planning comments including energy strategy, biodiversity, and balcony and courtyard design
• Public realm work on Arnside Road is completed by Bristol City Council

• Final planning approval for the Glencoyne Square Community Housing Scheme received in January
• Following the planning permission, partners along with the community work through the pandemic to develop detail including legal agreements, viability and community space design and usage
• Public realm improvements continue on Greystoke Avenue and Arnside Road, with the installation of new inclusive walkways, improved parking areas, pedestrian crossings and better access

• Southmead Regeneration receives Highly Commended at National Planning Awards for Community Led Place-making
• Work continues with project partners and AGRP to discuss community space within the scheme
• Bristol City Council Planning Committee voted unanimously to approve the scheme
• Bristol City Council carry out consultation for the artwork and benches which will be on Arnside Road
• Public realm improvements on Greystoke Avenue and Arnside Road begin

• Design tours for residents take place so everyone can see ideas from existing projects
• Design consultations with local community groups, the youth centre plus drop-ins at Greenway Centre and SCART shop
• Architects draw up designs
• 4788 copies of the Southmead Regeneration Special Edition of The Mead delivered
• Consultation for Bristol City Council’s plans for Arnside happens at the SCART shop
• Work on Local Lettings Policy begins
• Residents can see 3D design plans using Virtual Reality headset at Southmead
• Festival and consult on Local Lettings Policy
• Planning application submitted. Residents have opportunity to submit their comments

• Southmead Development Trust team is formed
• Shortlisted architects share their ideas with the community at Greenway Centre and give feedback
• Nash Partnership architects are selected
• Workshops throughout the summer gather ideas and feedback from residents
• Masterplan is finalised and showcased at a Community event
• Bid submitted to Homes England for funding
• Detailed design work begins

• Southmead Community Plan published after almost 900 households surveyed
• Glencoyne Square Community-led Housing Project resident-led steering group formed
• Housing Needs Study conducted and published

The plans are for 187 flats with a mix of 1 and 2 beds. The ground floor of the building will be community and business spaces to support local enterprise, projects and services. Bristol City Council are planning to also move Southmead Library to this space. There will be a pedestrianised street, extending Arnside Road.

The aim of the project is to improve this central part of Southmead for residents now and into the future. It is also hoped that the development will generate income in years to come to help pay for and support the neighbourhood and its priorities.

Southmead Development Trust, the community organisation owned and run by the community, are running the project.
Southmead Development Trust are supported by the Arnside and Glencoyne Regeneration Project (AGRP). This is a group of Southmead residents, local councillors and stakeholders who have been meeting regularly since 2015. Over 40 local engagement events and more than 2000 individual conversations have taken place over the course of the process. Local residents have had input into location, the architect, designs and materials. We even had a Virtual Reality tour at Southmead Festival in 2019, and at our drop in consultation event in 2022.

We are aiming for around 117 of the flats to be affordable housing trying to keep rents as low as possible. This will be dependent on grant funding. The affordable homes will be available through HomeChoice.

We are pushing for a Local Lettings Plan which will give priority to people with a connection to Southmead such as those who already live and work here.

Over half of Glencoyne Square will remain as public open space. This space will include many different seating areas, planting over 30 new trees, accessible pathways and green space. There will be ongoing opportunities for residents to shape and look after the green space, building on the foundations that Bristol City Council are able to provide and maintain, to make it an even better place for Southmead.

There are 4 wheelchair accessible flats. Over half the flats will have lift or ground level access.

Currently there are 32 trees on Glencoyne Square. 12 will need to be removed but we are planting to replace them. By the end of the process there will be 68 trees. We are also looking at how we could plant more trees around Southmead separate to the housing project. 

There will be 73 parking spaces including 2 loading bays, 2 future car club spaces and 4 Blue Badge holder spaces.

Before building the homes can begin we need to redirect a sewer that runs under Glencoyne. You can read more about that on the next page. Once the sewer diversion is complete and when we get the right price for the work, we hope to be on site next year.