Planning approval to deliver 278 new homes on the site of the former Filton Airfield has been granted by South Gloucestershire Council. The new homes form the first phase in the transformation of the historic airfield site into a thriving new neighbourhood for Bristol, known as Brabazon.
Grant Associates is creating the landscape and public realm strategy for the development, working closely with the architects Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios on behalf of site owner YTL Developments.
This first phase of new properties includes high-quality family homes, private apartments and affordable properties, all set within community gardens and liveable streets.
A public square and sweeping crescent mark the entrance into the neighbourhood, while the mix of homes, ranging from medium-rise apartment buildings to urban terraces and spacious family houses, is designed to foster a diverse and vibrant community.
The neighbourhood is set out on a network of tree-lined streets, with attractive public spaces and Brabazon Park, a new area of green parkland and play space that will be a community asset open for everyone to enjoy. The homes and apartments all have access to outside space.
Following the grant of planning approval, YTL Developments anticipates that construction will begin before the end of the year. The homes are expected to go on sale during 2020, with the first residents set to move in at Brabazon in 2021.
When complete, Brabazon will be a new urban community, with over 2,600 homes, creative workplaces and a vibrant town centre set amongst landscaped public squares and parkland.
At the same time, over £100 million is being invested to improve local infrastructure: A new railway station will connect to Bristol Temple Meads in less than 15 minutes and a dedicated metrobus will run straight to the city centre.
Keith French, Director at landscape architects Grant Associates, said:
“Our aim is to create a leafy neighbourhood and for it to become part of a rich and varied landscape framework for Filton Airfield which provides a range of opportunities for residents, locals and visitors to use the external spaces, and connect with nature.”
“We want to celebrate the aviation heritage of the site and the proposed sequence of public spaces and community gardens, linked by walkways and cycle routes, will help to create a distinct sense of place and identity. These spaces will connect with Bristol’s wider green infrastructure and ecological corridors, helping to promote a green neighbourhood for South Gloucestershire.”
Andy Theobald, Partner at architects Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios, said:
“We are very much looking forward to delivering the approved housing designs at Brabazon, which will become a highly sustainable new residential quarter. The family of house types we have created, set within public and private spaces, will deliver contemporary homes in a vibrant new neighbourhood which will not only set the bar for the future development but also for the wider region.”
Sebastian Loyn, Technical Director of Development at YTL Developments, said:
“Filton Airfield is a historic local landmark. We are working with world-renowned architects to ensure its future lives up to the legacy of its pioneering past. The first phase of new homes is designed to form the heart of a thriving new neighbourhood for North Bristol.”