Delivery of Affordable Housing Build-to-Rent Homes in Bristol
Bristol City Council has an ambitious affordable housing delivery target. This encompasses all types of affordable housing to meet the city’s identified needs, including Affordable Private Rent (APR). Whilst the national benchmark level for APR is set at 20%, the Council will aim to deliver a much higher percentage of affordable housing from Build to Rent (BtR) schemes, consistent with percentages sought for more traditional forms of affordable housing. This is in line with aspirations to increase overall affordable housing percentages above current Local Plan policy levels. Increased percentages will be explored through the Local Plan Review process and will be subject to viability testing. Any higher percentages sought for APR will be set out in the new Local Plan.
The Council is also committed to the delivery of high-quality and genuinely affordable homes. To ensure all types of affordable homes are affordable the Council expects new APR rentals to be capped at Local Housing Allowance (LHA) levels. The Council is exploring ways to ensure the affordability of APR units is maintained in perpetuity. Further work is also being undertaken to explore target markets for APR and whether certain groups may be better suited to this form of affordable housing, including essential local workers.
