Bristol City Council's Cabinet has approved proposals that will enable the delivery of affordable homes in one of the city’s most deprived areas, alongside the development of new and improved facilities at the Mill Youth Centre, home to the Empire Fighting Chance (EFC) charity.
The charity is working with Sovereign Housing Association, a registered social housing provider, on a proposed development of 38 new affordable homes on the site in Easton.
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In addition to providing much-needed affordable homes, the proposed development will fund works to improve facilities at the youth centre and will help to secure EFC’s long-term finances. As part of the proposals, an indoor basketball court would be built, and the existing gym would be expanded. The costs of the affordable housing, basketball court and a new car park would be paid by Sovereign, as well as a contribution to the gym expansion.
The proposed design uses the site in an innovative way, making efficient use of space to provide both new homes and the new indoor basketball court on the site.
The youth centre in Easton is owned by the council and leased to EFC for a 'peppercorn' rent under the Community Asset Transfer (CAT) scheme.
The council will support the expansion and the new affordable homes by granting a new CAT lease at a notional rent for the current gym site, as well as granting a new long-term lease of the basketball court site, also on a peppercorn rent. A CAT is where a property is leased to a community or voluntary organisation to manage, usually for less than market value.
