Work is to start next month on the £43m second phase of Wapping Wharf, the major regeneration scheme on Bristol’s Harbourside.
Some £23.4m has been secured from Homes England by developers Umberslade and Muse for Wapping Wharf Living, their joint venture which will create more than 250 homes.
The developers have also appointed international infrastructure company Balfour Beatty to build this phase of the regeneration scheme. Four retail units will also be built along a new road to be constructed through the centre of the site.
Wapping Wharf is widely acknowledged as one of Bristol’s most exciting new neighbourhoods, with nearly 200 homes already complete and occupied, alongside a new retail quarter featuring some of the city’s best independent shops, restaurants, cafes and other businesses.
The flourishing new dockside community includes CARGO, the city’s first retail hub made of converted shipping containers – reflecting Bristol’s independent, creative spirit and becoming a magnet for locals and tourists.
Nearby Gaol Ferry Steps is lined with more independent retailers and has also become a popular route for people commuting by foot or bike between South Bristol and the city centre.
When the entire Wapping Wharf scheme is finished it will have brought more than 600 new homes and a range of retail and office units to the once-derelict site – one of the last major undeveloped areas of Harbourside.
Phase two will include two blocks of residential buildings, providing 256 homes. Most of the one, two and three-bedroom apartments will be offered for sale on the open market, with 93 sold to Sovereign Housing for private rent and shared-ownership housing. The construction work will also include the creation of ground-level car parking, cycle storage and landscaping for the new homes.
The early 19th Century, Grade II listed Gaol Gate and Gaol wall structures, which have already been stabilised, will act as a pedestrian feature entrance to the residential buildings, which will reflect the history and character of the area.
Umberslade director Stuart Hatton said: “It’s very exciting to be able to embark on the next phase of building the community at Wapping Wharf and it’s thanks to an enormous amount of hard work from all of our partners that we’re now able to give this the go ahead.
“We’re delighted with the way that Bristol has welcomed Wapping Wharf and that we can take another step in transforming this once-derelict site into a thriving neighbourhood for the city.”
Muse Developments residential development director Duncan Cumberland added: “We are delighted to be moving forward with phase two of Wapping Wharf and replicate the funding structures with Homes England and Sovereign Housing that were so successful on phase one.
“Once again Muse has brought its funding and regeneration expertise to the table, to play our part in creating a vibrant, new community in Bristol, and look forward to working with our partners once more.”
The financial support comes from Homes England is being made through its Home Building Fund, which provides loans to help unlock or accelerate the delivery of residential and mixed-use housing developments.
Homes England chief executive Nick Walkley said he was “hugely excited” by the potential for new homes in Bristol that will help tackle its chronic housing shortage.
“We want to use our finance and expertise to speed up the delivery of new homes,” he said. “We have previously supported the award-winning first phase of the Wapping Wharf scheme and the £23.4m loan through our Home Building Fund will help transform this site, creating 256 new homes in the city centre. I am pleased we have also provided affordable housing funding to enable Sovereign Housing to provide 49 homes for shared ownership.”
The new homes are set to come on the market next year with construction work on phase two expected to complete in 2020. At the peak stages of construction, the programme will employ more than 250 people, including multiple apprenticeship and graduate positions.
Pictured: CGIs showing how phase two will look. Top, aerial view from Cumberland Road. Below, view of Rope Walk, which will run through the heart of Wapping Wharf, looking east
