Bristol adopted their Core Strategy back in June 2011, it sets out where they are now, where they would like to be and how they are going to get there.
Policy BCS17 of the Core Strategy sets out the expectations regarding affordable housing in the area, this can be seen below:
As seen above, there are different requirements based on the location of the proposed development.
For developments providing 15+ dwellings in North West, Inner West and Inner East Bristol, 40% of the total number of units are required to be affordable housing. Likewise developments providing 15+ dwellings in all other locations in Bristol are required to provide 30% affordable housing.
The Bristol Affordable Housing Practice Note (July 2022) sets out the expectations for developments of less than 15 dwellings:
Residential developments of 10-14 dwellings will be expected to either make an on-site affordable housing provision if appropriate, or an equivalent financial contribution.
For Inner West, Inner East and South West Bristol, the expectation is 20% and in North West, East and North Bristol, the expectation is 10%. The below map illustrates the relevant requirements:
The policy also allows for financial contributions being sought on developments under 10 units.
Bristol’s Core Strategy is now a decade out of date, therefore we advise that a site-specific viability assessment is completed on all developments of 10 or more dwellings.
