TT Group and Bellway Homes exchange on former WWII military hospital site in Bristol

TT Group and Bellway Homes have exchanged on the former Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) office site on Flowers Hill in Bristol. The site comprises over 92,000 sq ft of vacant, disused offices and ancillary buildings spread over 8.65 acres. The buildings were originally constructed as a military hospital during World War II, with a Grade II listed war room which is believed to have been built in 1953 for atomic bomb defence planning.

With the knowledge that DWP was vacating the site in March 2021, we instructed planning consultants Blackbox Planning and architects Roberts Limbrick, who obtained an outline consent to provide up to 160 residential units with a flexible change of use for the retained war room. We engaged with key stakeholders through the planning process, including the adjoining Hungerford Community Centre which has been very supportive of the development.

Bellway Homes is now submitting its Reserved Matters application with a view to commencing construction next year. The Bellway Homes development will transform a vacant, disused office site, unsuitable for modern working, into a high-quality new housing development, including affordable homes, open space, a children’s play area, landscaping and a new pedestrian and cycle link between Flowers Hill and Hungerford Road. 

Sam Rosenkranz, Asset Manager at TT Group, said: “We want to thank again those who worked with us from the City Council, community groups and members of the local community to provide valuable feedback during the progression of the application last year. We know Bellway Homes will continue to engage with key stakeholders through the planning process to ultimately deliver an excellent development for the local community.”

Sam Sowden, Land Director at Bellway Homes, said: “Exchanging contracts on this site forms part of our strategy for growth as a division and to bring high-quality housing to Bristol. This follows on from our recently launched Berwick Green development at Cribbs Causeway and will help to meet the housing need in and around the city. We are excited to have exchanged with TT Group and thank them and their agent Savills, for their hard work. We will now be working on our Reserved Matters application, which we will be looking to submit in the summer.”

We were advised through the planning and sale by Savills.