New homes showcased in Bristol

The £25m housing project in Barton Hill in Bristol which features 131 new affordable homes has been officially unveiled in Bristol.

The new homes were developed as part a decade of regeneration work in one of the most deprived inner-city areas in the West, which had not been regenerated since the 1960s when high-rise flats were built to replace Victorian terraced houses.

The residential property development, which was completed at the end of last year, was funded by the New Deal for Communities (NDC) programme, Bristol City Council, the Homes and Communities Agency and Sovereign.

The actual scheme was delivered by housing association Sovereign in partnership with Solon South West Housing Association.

"Barton Hill has been transformed. We have used the design of housing and public spaces to make the area feel more welcoming, so that local people feel safer walking around," said Heather Bowman, Housing and Communities director for Sovereign.

"What is really gratifying is that this has been achieved with meaningful input from local residents, who have influenced the design of the new housing and of the open spaces. This approach contributed to high satisfaction levels in government surveys conducted in New Deal for Communities areas."