Plans submitted for Bristol’s first net zero carbon later living community in Westbury Park
Designs for St Christopher’s Square developed after extensive local consultation
Plans to create Bristol’s first net zero integrated retirement community and a new leisure and activity hub for Westbury Park have been submitted to Bristol City Council.
Developed after extensive community consultation, the £85 million proposal for St Christopher’s Square will create over 100 new homes for older people on a five acre site bordering the Downs.
Access to the site, which has been shut off for many years, will be opened up to the local community who will be able to enjoy a range of activities on the grounds, in North Lodge and in the refurbished Grade II listed Grace House. The development will be transformed into a centre for local residents and the wider Westbury Park community, and will include a café, an urban village hall, a wellness centre featuring a hydrotherapy pool and gym, plus activity rooms.
St Christopher’s Square will offer the highest levels of sustainability, health and wellbeing, and has been designed to fit well within the local area. The proposals will see the sustainable refurbishment of the existing heritage buildings on the site, including the villas fronting Westbury Park.
A new collection of two storey cottages and four three- to six-storey buildings will provide 122 much-needed extra care homes. The extra care, or integrated retirement model, combines lifestyle amenities, care, and community activities, enabling older people to live independently for as long as possible. These homes will help address the acute shortage of specialist accommodation for older people in Bristol and at the same time, free up homes for families in the city while reducing pressure on the NHS and social services.
The designs feature extensive open space and a range of gardens for residents and local people to enjoy. The grounds will include sensory gardens and community food growing spaces to boost sustainable living, biodiversity, and resident wellbeing. The landscaping has been designed by Bristol-based Stride Treglown and will involve planting 50 extra trees on site.
St Christopher’s Square will be net zero carbon in operation, as well as using low carbon construction techniques and materials. It will also be fossil fuel free, generating up to 25% of its energy needs on-site through solar panels.
Extensive consultation was undertaken over several months to inform the designs, and plans have been changed in response to local feedback. The comprehensive community consultation included direct meetings with neighbours, guided site walkaround events, community workshops and drop in events with the project team, as well as a dynamic digital online survey to gather feedback on the proposals.
In response to feedback received through the consultation, the team has made significant changes to the plans, including reducing heights of some of the buildings, moving the tallest element of the proposals to the centre of the site, and pulling other buildings away from the site boundary to minimise the impact of the development on existing neighbouring properties.
The team behind the proposals is made up of ethical investor FORE Partnership, a certified B Corporation which means it pursues purpose alongside profit, specialist integrated retirement community operator Amicala, and development manager Socius (formerly known as First Base).
St Christopher’s Square is believed to be the first development in Bristol to actively align with the city’s new Social Value Policy, incorporating the council’s TOMs (Themes, Outcomes and Measures) Measurement Framework. The framework has been designed to provide a reporting standard for measuring social value in Bristol. The project also supports the Bristol One City Plan. Social value initiatives so far include enabling the use of the St Christopher’s site as a Covid-19 booster vaccination clinic, offering rent-free space for local groups such as Redland Scouts, and providing temporary affordable accommodation for 90 people whilst the site is vacant.
CGI of St Christopher’s Square
CGI of St Christopher’s Square
Basil Demeroutis, Managing Partner, FORE, said:
“We are committed to delivering stand-out projects that uphold the highest standards of environmental sustainability, whilst driving significant positive social value. As the first net zero carbon later living development for Bristol and one of the first in the UK, St Christopher’s Square will pave the way for a new generation of ultra-sustainable, later living communities for older people across the country.”
Henry Lumby, Chief Development Officer of integrated retirement community operator Amicala, said:
“We’re excited about our plans for St Christopher’s Square, which will not only help meet the acute need for specialist extra care homes in Bristol but also provide a new social and leisure hub for Westbury Park, opening up the site and offering a wide range of facilities for residents and local people to enjoy. It will provide older people with high quality and sustainable housing, with the option for wraparound care on hand as needed, reducing the burden on healthcare and social services.”
Lucinda Mitchell, Project Director, Socius, said:
“Having engaged early and listened carefully to the local community, we have revised elements of our plans to respond to their feedback and are pleased to present a highly sustainable and inclusive scheme which will address the need for high quality specialist later living housing for Bristol.”
