Bristol: Call for empty buildings to be turned into homes

The Old Seamans Mission Church on Prince Street was taken over by Bloomsbury Leisure Group in 2023

There are calls in Bristol for empty buildings to be renovated to create more social housing.

The Green Party has put forward a motion to the council asking the Mayor to set up a task force to help tackle the housing shortage.

The plans would see unviable office, retail or commercial sites being repurposed for homes.

Councillor Tony Dyer, who proposed the motion, admitted the idea needed the input of developers to succeed.

"What we've had so far is very positive feedback from the developer community. It's not in their interest to have buildings that are empty.

"They would like to see return on their investment".

Carla Denyer, co-leader of the Green Party, will second Cllr Tony Dyer's motion

Mr Dyer, who is a Green councillor for Southville, said there was "probably enough empty space in the city at the moment from retail to provide at least 300 flats, and that's likely to double to 600 by 2030".

According to government figures from October 2023, there were almost 400 council homes empty at any one time in Bristol between 2022 and 2023, while more than 5,000 properties, mostly in private ownership, stand vacant; nearly half of those for six months or more.

"We would like to see those buildings made use of so that they are a positive contribution to the city rather than being derelict.

"What we want to do is to work with the private sector to fund the task force to look into how we can bring these buildings back into use," he added.

An estimated 3,200 people were homeless in Bristol last year with about 21,000 families on the housing waiting list, according to the homelessness charity Shelter.

Mr Dyer said the city cannot afford to wait for central government to take action.

"Bristol City Council already has a small empty homes team which has been highlighted by the Local Government Association as an example of good practice," he said.

"Part of this motion seeks to expand their role and remit."

Councillor Carla Denyer, co-leader of the Green Party of England and Wales, will second the motion for a redundant buildings task force.

She said: "This motion demonstrates that there are measures that can be implemented right now to tackle the housing crisis and the climate crisis, both of which are important to the people of Bristol.

"Bringing existing buildings back into use as homes could save huge levels of carbon that would otherwise be released if buildings were demolished and rebuilt."

The motion will be debated at a full council meeting on Tuesday.

The owner of the Grosvenor Hotel was ordered to make the building safe or demolish it after a fire