Curo, the not-for-profit housing and support organisation, has submitted an outline planning application for the regeneration of the Foxhill estate to Bath & North East Somerset Council.
The proposals are part of a significant investment by Curo in the city to develop new homes, improve community facilities and provide skills and employment opportunities.
Curo is already a major contributor to the local economy, building 700 new homes at the neighbouring Mulberry Park development and a £10 million school, nursery, community building and sports pitch.
The outline planning application is the result of three years of consultation with the Council, local residents and stakeholders. It shows the scale of the proposed development and demonstrates how it meets the Council’s planning requirements.
Over 1,500 local people have attended workshops, exhibitions, group meetings and one-to-one meetings with Curo and masterplanning architects HTA Design to shape the proposals.
Feedback from local residents has been reflected in the proposed sequence of regeneration, the development of larger family homes and improvements to local shops.
The application includes proposals for a maximum of 700 new homes, at least 30% of which would be affordable, as well as key design features such as building heights and the approximate location of new roads and green spaces.
Alongside the 210 affordable homes proposed at Foxhill, Curo is also building 210 affordable homes at Mulberry Park.
Curo has agreed a local lettings plan with B&NES Council which ensures that Foxhill residents will receive priority for the new homes.
As well as much needed new homes, the outline application shows improved east-west connections between Foxhill and the new community hub and park at Mulberry Park, integrating the two communities and better connecting Foxhill to the wider Combe Down area.
It would also provide more than four times more open space in the local area with pocket parks for doorstep play and improved access to Springfield Park.
Curo Chief Executive Victor Da Cunha said: “These plans underpin Curo’s vision to use the development of Mulberry Park as a catalyst for positive regeneration that will lead to improvements in both the physical and social environment at Foxhill.
“As a registered charity and social landlord, we are committed to providing homes to meet local need. Despite the lack of grant funding for new, social rent homes, we are continuing to pursue other sources of funding to enable us to do more.
“We have worked with hundreds of local people over the last three years to balance a range of views and present the best possible regeneration proposals for the whole community. We hope that the Council will support this application and enable us to make this vision a reality.”
The Foxhill estate is part of the Foxhill Housing Zone, one of just 20 housing zones outside London designated by central government in 2015. The designation brings with it additional support and confirms its status as a nationally significant housing project.
If the outline planning application is approved by the Council, Curo would work with local residents on a phase by phase basis to identify the best regeneration options for each area of the estate.
This could include proposals to demolish and rebuild some homes and also to retain some homes.
This would then form the basis of a detailed planning application for each phase (known as a ‘reserved matters’ application).
