The final new residents have moved into their new homes this month, two years after an empty ‘ghost street’ on the edge of Bristol was finally demolished.
And the guest of honour at a little ceremony held to mark the occasion was someone who lived in the old street for more than 45 years, before it was left empty and eventually levelled.
Housing association Bromford demolished 24 homes and a block of garages back at the end of 2022, and created a new ‘phoenix street’ from the rubble, with 44 modern, energy-efficient homes.
Back in the summer of 2022, Bristol Live showed the poignant scene in Hampton Street in Cadbury Heath, after the last resident had been moved out by the housing association. Even the grass in the abandoned front gardens had stopped growing in the summer heat that year, and the boarded up homes looked apocalyptic as people living nearby in the Banjo Island community hurried past the eerie site.
The abandonment of Hampton Close had been a long time coming – right back to the early 2010s. Every resident – many of whom had lived there for decades and formed strong neighbourhood community bonds – was sent a letter warning them that, one day, their homes would have to be demolished.
Built in the 1950s, the former local authority houses were ‘Cornish homes’, built of concrete using non-traditional construction methods. They weren’t, housing association Merlin explained, fit for the 21st century and a decision had been taken to eventually demolish them and use the street and the garages around the back as a site to build new modern homes.
Many of the residents weren’t happy – living for years with the prospect that one day another letter would come with a moving out date. By 2019 and just before the start of the Covid pandemic in 2020, people started to move out. Then Covid hit, and the street was left half-empty, the remaining residents left in something of a limbo.
Eventually, everyone moved out and were found alternative accommodation by the housing association. In the last couple of months of 2022, after more than a year of the ghost street attracting curious looks from people on buses going along the main road into Banjo Island, the demolition crews moved in.
A year to 18 months later, and new residents began to move in. None of the original residents chose to return to live, but Gerald Woodman, who lived in Hampton Close for more than 45 years, did come back to check out the new homes for the celebration of the last new resident moving in.
“I am so impressed with these homes,” he said. “They are very smart and well-designed. The gardens are spacious with lots of room, and the addition of off-road parking adds convenience. The solar panels are fantastic; they don’t just benefit the environment but also help residents cut down on energy bills,” he added.
Whereas the old homes had to be demolished because they couldn’t be retrofitted to meet energy efficiency standards, the new homes are at the top of the range for modern eco-technology. It’s been a long road for Bromford’s project manager Noreen Twomey, who worked to find new homes for the residents of the old street, and managed the build and the new residents moving in.
“It’s wonderful to see these homes completed and families living happily here,” she said. “These are some of the most energy efficient homes we’ve built in South Gloucestershire and it should mean that customers are not paying as much to keep their homes warm.
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“We’ve received huge demand for these homes, with some properties attracting more than 280 enquiries from prospective customers. It shows the very real need for more affordable housing in South Gloucestershire and we look forward to working with the council and other stakeholders to build more homes over the months and years ahead,” she added.
Council chief John O’Neill, the councillor responsible for housing at South Gloucestershire Council ’s cabinet, said the new homes would help with the long waiting list on the housing register.
“I’m delighted to see this regeneration project which has delivered high quality and accessible homes completed and the first families moving in,” he said.
“This scheme offers a range of house types that will meet the needs of families, single people, and couples, and supports the objectives of the council’s HomesWest Partnership and the council’s Housing Strategy and commitment to delivering new affordable homes.
“Importantly, these homes will meet the needs of those on the council’s Housing register and in need of rented affordable housing in South Gloucestershire,” he added.