A project we’re working on to regenerate the heart of Southmead in Bristol has been ‘highly commended’ at this year’s Planning Awards.
The first phase of the ‘Southmead – working for the community’ project was competing in the ‘Community-led Placemaking’ category at the virtual awards event held this week.
This people-led project will regenerate the centre of Southmead by making it vibrant and exciting for residents while addressing the need for smaller homes for first-time buyers and older people.
Nash Partnership is working on the project for client Southmead Development Trust. Other key partners include Bristol City Council, Streets Reimagined, United Communities Housing Association and the local community.
The project’s first phase will see underutilised open space at Glencoyne Square transformed to deliver 120 new homes, of which 85% will be affordable. The planning application for the first phase was unanimously approved at planning committee in May.
The wider masterplan involves building on under-used open space and council-owned sites to deliver c.300 new homes in total and local facilities (community centre, library, youth centre and healthy living centre) to address current challenges facing residents.
The project has been recognised for its community-led nature due to its all-encompassing approach to consultation and engagement. The planning and design process, led by Nash Partnership with Streets Reimagined, has involved managing multiple stakeholder groups and has been truly people-led. Feedback collected through consultation with local residents has played a significant role in shaping the scheme at every stage – from creating an overarching vision to influencing materials and finishing of the buildings themselves.
All engagement activities – from street stalls and exhibitions to virtual reality tours, workshops and one-to-one meetings – have focused on key elements that the community could influence.
Nash Partnership’s Planning Director Mike Fox commented: “It’s one of the UK’s largest community-led housing projects, and we’re delighted it’s been highly commended. As consultants, what’s backed up a lot of our work in Southmead is the local community’s involvement. For residents, the project has been truly people-led in every sense. We’re very proud to have this work highly commended at the national planning awards.”