The Woodborough Street Scheme
In 2023, Nettle Housing Co-op was granted preferred bidder status on a plot of land on Woodborough Street in Lawrence Hill, Bristol. This means that so long as the co-op are able to secure planning permission and the necessary finance, Bristol City Council will gift the land to the co-op, enabling us to create affordable homes on a shared ownership model.
In 2024 Nettle was awarded a grant and a loan from the Charities Aid Foundation. This has allowed us to recruit a professional team to support us through the development, including Caroline Pringle from Ecomotive, who is providing project management and Barefoot Architects.
The site
The plot at 61-67 Woodborough Street is a bomb site which was used as a scout hall until 2015, after which it was used as a place or worship. The building was in derelict state and not fit for purpose due to presence of asbestos and has been demolished in autumn 2025.
In 2023, Nettle housing co-op was granted preferred bidder status on the land. This means that Nettle will be gifted the land, if they are able to secure planning permission and the necessary finance.
Woodborough Street is on the boarder of Easton and Lawrence Hill in one of Bristol’s liveliest and most diverse neighbourhoods and communities, a short walk to the busy shopping streets of St Marks Road, Stapleton Road and to Bannerman Road Community Academy primary school. The immediate neighbourhood is ‘framed’ by the Stapleton Road to the north and train-line to the east.
Our plans
We intend to build six homes; three, three-bedroom maisonettes and three, two-bedroom flats. One or two of the homes may be sold at market rate to make the rest of the scheme financially viable. The Co-op intend that these will be primarily for local families.
Our garden will include landscaped seating areas and provide a communal space for residents and their guests to use. The scheme will be built to Passivhaus standards, assisted by solar panels, air source heat pumps, double/triple glazing and robust insulation, ensuring sustainability of the homes as much as possible.
External designs
The front of the building
The front includes small private front gardens, boundary walls and individual access stairs to the upper floor maisonettes.
Our proposal is in-keeping with the scale and density of other buildings the surrounding area, which are generally 2 and 3-storey, 2-4 bedroom terraced houses, with small front and middle-size back gardens. The building will not be significantly higher or in a prominent position compared to the surrounding buildings.
The rear of the building
Designs for the rear of the building include a terrace and garden access stairs for the maisonettes, including a privacy screen to avoid the possibility of overlooking properties on the side of the Chaplin Road.
Small private access terraces to the ground floor flats are provided at the rear , creating a physical buffer between private and communal space.
Internal designs
Proposed design for the ground floor, 2 bedroom flats and garden
The ground floor flats are identical, 2-bedroom, 3-person flats. They have been designed with the habitable spaces such as the kitchen, dining, and living room away from the road and to make the most of the garden, providing direct access to the external access terrace. Functional elements such as the bathroom and storage are located in the middle, and bedrooms are situated to the South-West of the building, with good daylight and front gardens acting as a buffer from road noise.
Proposed designs for the ground floor
Proposed design for the 1st and 2nd floor, 3 bedroom maisonettes
The upper floor maisonettes are across two storeys and are also arranged with functional elements such as bathroom, stairs, utility and storage in the centre, kitchen and dining on the south-west side of the building. The habitable living space on the North-East side, with direct connection to a roof terrace and the communal garden beyond. All bedrooms are on the second floor with a central bathroom.
Proposed designs for the second and third floors
Sustainability
The building will be built to a very high thermal performance, using Fabric First principles to develop a highly insulated and airtight thermal envelope with Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery and with opportunity for cross-ventilation, all of which will far exceed building regulation standards. Additionally, the design of the flat roof is to optimise the available area for Solar PV panels. Each unit will have an individual Air Source Heat Pump for heating and hot water system.
It is our intention to use natural and recycled materials where possible, to ensure a healthier living environment and lower embodied carbon.
A preliminary Ecological survey has been produced to highlight any potential impacts on biodiversity and measures that can be undertaken to positively encourage biodiversity on the site.
Financing
The homes will remain affordable because Bristol City Council is gifting the land and the Co-op will retain ownership of a percentage of the homes through a Shared Ownership model. Residents can own between 10-75% of their home and will pay rent to the Co-op on the rest. This reduces the level of mortgage and deposit required, providing a route to home ownership to those who would not be eligible for larger mortgage.