Developers Generator South West have handed over the first 8 one- and two-bedroom shared ownership homes to housing provider Abri at The Chocolate Factory development in Greenbank.

First residents have moved into the apartments at Kernal Point on Co-operation Road as the project moves into its next phase of development. This is despite there being no requirement for affordable homes on the development when it was awarded planning in 2017.

In total there will be 28 apartments available to purchase on a shared ownership basis, in addition to the 104 private sale homes at the site, which when complete will also include retail units, a community hub, a public open square café/bar and workspace units.

Jason Schofield, development director for Generator South West, said: “We are delighted to have handed over the shared ownership homes to Abri and look forward to seeing the new residents moving in shortly.

“The milestone is even more rewarding as planning at The Chocolate Factory was approved without any affordable homes on the site but we worked hard with the local community and Bristol City Council to ensure that we got the right mix of homes for the area, including shared ownership properties.

“Several of the new residents grew up in the area and now, because of the availability of apartments through shared ownership from Abri, they are able to stay in the neighbourhood close to their families.

“The first private sale homes have been occupied for a few months and the residents have now settled into the friendly community in Greenbank. Everyone is looking forward to welcoming the new residents of Kernal Point as we move on to the next phase of development which includes houses and modern one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments built within the framework of the former historic factory building.”

Stuart Hensby, associate director of sales and marketing at Abri said: “It’s great to see customers moving into these new homes which are looking fantastic. We hope the new homes at The Chocolate Factory create a thriving community for everyone that comes to live here.

“Abri is committed to delivering at least 1,000 new homes every year to help solve the housing crisis and to help ease the pressure on an expanding city we’ve worked with Generator South West to revitalise this unused land and address the shortage of homes across Bristol.

The transformation of the former factory has been remarkable and we look forward to welcoming more people into their new homes in the future.”

In addition to new homes, the regeneration will open up the space to the local community creating a new pedestrian and cycle access to the Bristol & Bath Railway path. 

Reservations are now being taken for three- and four-bedroom houses on Carsons Road and anyone interested in the development can book an appointment to view the show home or visit the marketing suite.

For more information visit www.chocolatefactorybristol.com