It also considers pulling out of two housing scheme contracts expected to deliver more than 900 homes
Bristol City Council has proposed the sale of up to 1,222 of its homes in an effort to balance its Housing Revenue Account (HRA).
The council said the dwellings are “increasingly expensive to maintain and would generate significant capital receipts if sold”, which would fill the reported £8m shortfall in the HRA budget.
The local authority is also considering pulling out of two contracts for housing projects between its wholly-owned housing company Goram Homes and developer Vistry, despite the sunk cost of £300,000.
The Dover Court and New Fosseway developments would have delivered 660 and 268 homes respectively, with more than half designated for affordable housing. Axing the projects would release £20m in capital funds, which the council says will be used to upgrade current stock and/or “secure targeted delivery in areas of regeneration where other government funding is involved, with expected housing delivery targets.”
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The plans to bring forward a disposals policy and abandon the schemes will be discussed by the authority’s finance sub-committee at its meetings this Wednesday and Thursday (January 15 and 16).
In September 2024, the council announced its withdrawal from two other housing projects at Baltic Wharf and Hengrove Park, which were set to deliver 171 homes.
The proposal comes after the local authority received a C3 consumer regulation grade in July 2024 following a self-referral to the Regulator for Social Housing (RSH), indicating that it has “serious failings”.
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