Baltic Wharf Work poised to finally start on 166-flat waterside site

WORK to build more than 166 homes on the edge of Bristol’s Floating Harbour could start as soon as the end of July, after the council's housing company confirmed it had found both a builder and a housing association.

- Tristan CORK

It could mean the Baltic Wharf caravan site may well close on July 20 - at present that is when they are taking bookings up until - and unless there are delays, Goram Homes could be on site and starting preparatory works by the last week of July.

The future of the Baltic Wharf plan had been in doubt after Bristol City Council voted last October not to fund the building of the 'affordable' part of the development. But since then Goram, the council's house-building arm, has signed a deal with developers The Hill Group, and with Sovereign Housing Association, so the development is going ahead - with 40 per cent of the homes classed as 'affordable'.

That means 166 flats will be built in total, and 66 will be 'affordable' in planning terms. Of those, 16 will be available to buy as shared ownership properties with Sovereign, while 50 apartments will be let out by Sovereign at 'social rent' - the cheapest kind of affordable rent and the same level as a council flat.