Specialist build-to-rent developer Grainger has completed its second scheme in Bristol as it continues with its £257m investment in the city.
The business, the UK’s largest listed property firm of its kind, was behind the first build-to-rent development in Bristol in 2019, the 194-apartment, £68m Hawkins & George scheme at Finzels Reach. 
At the time the sector was rapidly spreading from London into vibrant regional cities such as Manchester – with Grainger spotting an opportunity to bring the concept to Bristol.
Now it has followed up the success of the Hawkins & George scheme with the opening of the £63m, 231-home Millwrights Place, pictured, also at Finzels Reach.
More than half of the properties – made up of studios and one and two-bed homes – were let within its first month, demonstrating, said Grainger, the strong demand and appeal for high-quality, mid-market homes in Bristol.
In line with other Grainger build-to-rent schemes, Millwrights Place residents will have a range of amenities such as a free on-site gym, super-fast fibre optic broadband, spacious resident’s lounge, co-working space, meeting pods, private dining room, exercise studio and a dedicated on-site resident services team.
Newcastle upon Tyne-headquartered Grainger’s third scheme in Bristol – also at Finzels Reach – will be the £126m, 408-home Glasshouse Square, due for completion next year. 
That will take the firm’s total investment in the city, which its in-house research has identified as one of the highest-scoring UK cities for rental demand and growth potential, to £257m.
Grainger said by creating operational clusters, it could generate efficiencies and further invest in the customer experience, managing buildings from a local office.
Chief executive Helen Gordon said: “We believe that Bristol is an excellent place to be investing, and our latest scheme, Millwrights Place, provides high-quality homes managed by a dedicated on-site team, raising the bar for Bristol renters.
“We look forward to welcoming our newest residents to Millwrights Place and to our continued delivery of new homes in this fantastic city with the 2025 launch of Glasshouse Square.”
The build-to-rent sector has expanded rapidly in Bristol since Grainger’s first scheme five years ago, with a number of developments in areas close to the city centre, including Harbourside, Temple Quarter and Redcliffe.
Among new build-to-rent schemes proposed for Bristol are a 430-home development on Silverthorne Lane by city-based property development and architecture firm StudioHIVE, Singapore-based construction and civil engineering firm Woh Hup and London-headquartered development manager Atlas Land, and 300-plus homes on Eugene Street, St Judes, by London-based specialist developer Platform_.
Founded in Newcastle upon Tyne in 1912, Grainger has become the UK’s largest listed residential landlord and, with around 11,100 rental homes, is the build-to-rent market leader.
It has a pipeline of secured build-to-rent development projects totalling in the region of 5,000 homes worth £1.5bn.
