Affordable Homes open in Bristol

The site of the development in Backfields holds historic importance in Bristol as it is the location of a mid-18th Century circus. Archaeologists found it to be the first riding school in Bristol and likely to be the first of its kind in the UK.

The Nectar Homes development has been named Ducrow Court after Andrew Ducrow, one of the most celebrated trick-riders of the late 18th and 19th centuries who is believed to have performed there.

The opening took place on Friday 26 February conducted by the Deputy Mayor of Bristol Councilor Brenda Hugill, along with Stewart Wright, Chairman of Knightstone Housing Association. They were accompanied by Chris Barltrop, a circus ringmaster who acted as Master of Ceremonies. Guests were then treated to circus performances and lunch at Circomedia.

Caroline Hughes, Regional Development Manager said “It is great to be a part of Bristol’s history and see this historic site transformed into homes for the future. We are delighted to officially open the scheme which will provide much-needed homes for people in Bristol.”

Ducrow Court has created 69 new homes and eight commercial units. The new homes were funded with a mixture of both government funding from the Homes and Communities Agency, funding from Bristol City Council and private funding raised by Knightstone.

Planning permission was granted in September 2007 after extensive consultation with local residents, community groups and council officers. The new apartments were built by Leadbitter construction.

The scheme is built to very high environmental standards and the cutting edge design has recently been appraised by Bristol City Council under the Commission for the Built Environment Building for Life award and achieved a silver award.

The opening event also celebrated the completion of 20 new homes close by at the Carnival Court development on Brigstocke Road. This scheme has produced much needed shared ownership housing for people unable to afford outright sale. The scheme was built by DB Russell of Clevedon with funding from both the Homes and Communities Agency and Bristol City Council who stepped in to provide additional funding to enable the homes to be more affordable.

Mike Day, Knightstone’s Development Director said “We are committed to the regeneration of the St Paul’s area. The event today has been a huge success and we would like to thank the local community who have worked closely with us to ensure that we are making a valuable contribution to St Paul’s housing strategy of providing more family housing and housing for low cost home ownership for local people.”