Bristol City Council has approved plans to develop at least one thousand new affordable homes will be built each year from 2024.

The Project 1000 Affordable Housing Delivery Plan 2022-25 outlines how the council will focus its land, time, money, and influence to create a step change in the way affordable housing is delivered in Bristol to meet its bold new ambition.

Building on the council's Housing Delivery Plan 2017-20 and reflecting the Corporate Strategy 2022-27 commitment to ensuring the affordability, availability, diversity and sustainability of housing for all citizens, Project 1000 will accelerate delivery so half of all homes delivered by the council and its partners each year by 2024 are affordable.

Affordable housing is housing for eligible households who cannot afford to pay market rents or are unable to buy homes at market value. For affordable rent, the council is committed to capping new lettings at Local Housing Allowance levels, which sit well below the 80 per cent of market rent defined by national policy.

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There are currently over 16,000 applicants on the council’s Housing Register, and projections suggest the city will need 22,261 new affordable homes over the next 20 years. Project 1000 sets out how the council will supercharge affordable delivery to meet this need, at the same time as tackling the climate and ecological emergencies and building sustainable, balanced communities.

To help develop Project 1000 and identify how to increase the affordable homes target, the council reviewed the effectiveness of various affordable housing projects where it had direct and arms-length influence. From successes of schemes such as Hope Rise and Ashton Rise, and challenges at others, the council has built up an evidence base that has helped determine how Bristol’s housing ecosystem can provide the affordable homes the city needs.

Project 1000 will include working more closely with registered and other affordable housing providers and disposing of land to third parties like community-led housing groups. The council will also further explore the use of innovative, low-carbon Modern Methods of Construction (MMC).

Increasing Goram Homes' pipeline will play a major role in helping the council meeting its ambitions, by giving the council greater control over how its land is used and the type of homes built on it. Last week, the council announced that Hengrove Park, the major 1,400 home development in South Bristol, will be brought forward by Goram Homes, enabling around 700 of the new homes to be affordable housing.