12 Jun 2023
Award-winning housebuilder The Hill Group has announced the purchase of Bristol Zoo's former West Car Park site from the Bristol Zoological Society. The brownfield site has lain dormant since Bristol Zoo Gardens closed its doors in September 2022 to facilitate a new conservation-focused zoo at the Wild Place Project in South Gloucestershire. The acquisition will see the delivery of 62 luxury new homes, comprising seven mews houses and 55 one and two-bed apartments, in the desirable Clifton area of Bristol.
Hill's development will deliver much-needed new housing, including 20% affordable homes to the area in a thoughtful architectural style that complements the surrounding Georgian mansions of Clifton. Planning permission was granted for the development in December 2022. The decision was subject to an unsuccessful judicial review challenge, and planning therefore remains granted.
Andy Hill, Group Chief Executive of The Hill Group, commented: "This is an important site for the city of Bristol, both in terms of redeveloping a former part of the historic zoo and providing high-quality accommodation in such an architecturally rich part of the city. We are pleased to have completed our acquisition of the site, and now look ahead to delivering a development that reflects the heritage of Clifton while also addressing the housing needs of the local area.”
The proceeds from the sale will be used by the Bristol Zoological Society to fund the first phase of construction at Wild Place Project (to be called Bristol Zoo Project). This will include the creation of a new central African forest area, with construction expected to start in 2024.
Hill's development of the former West Car Park site is situated opposite the old Bristol Zoo Garden's site and former pavilion. The new development will thoughtfully blend in and reflect the design style of the Georgian mansions lining the streets of Clifton, which historically housed merchant families and has long been the most sought-after area in Bristol.
Showcasing Hill's commitment to sustainability, the forthcoming development will be built to high environmental standards, incorporating energy-efficient features such as photovoltaic panels, air source heat pumps, and green roofs.
Justin Morris, Chief Executive at Bristol Zoological Society comments: "It is great to see the progress being made on the redevelopment of this historically important location, offering new, sustainable and affordable housing for Bristol”.
Hill's acquisition of the West Car Park site represents further growth in Bristol and the South West for the company. Current schemes include McArthur's Yard, a major residential scheme of 142 apartments as part of the Bristol dockside regeneration, and Hengrove Bookends in South Bristol, a development of 53 homes which will form the gateway to a wider development of over 1,400 homes by Bristol Council.
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About The Hill Group
Hill is an award-winning housebuilder and one of the leading developers in London, the home counties, and the South, renowned for its partnership ethos specialising in the building of distinctive new places and communities where people want to live, work, and socialise. It is now in the process of opening new regional offices to facilitate growth both in the South West and the Midlands.
In its 24th year, this family-owned and operated company has grown to establish itself as the UK's second-largest privately-owned housebuilder, with an impressive and diverse portfolio of schemes ranging from landmark, mixed-use regeneration schemes and inner-city apartments to homes in rural communities.
Employing over 800 staff, the company operates from five strategically located regional offices, with its head office based in Waltham Abbey, Essex.
Hill anticipates completing over 2,600 homes in 2023 and has a controlled land bank with planning consent for over 8,500 units. Around half of the development portfolio is in joint venture to deliver a range of mixed tenure developments, reflecting Hill's commitment to partnerships with government, local authorities, housing associations, and private clients.
Hill has won over 480 industry awards in the past 24 years, including Best Medium Housebuilder at the Housebuilder Awards for the last three years, where in 2022, Hill's commitment to creating exceptional homes and sustainable communities was recognised with the Best Community Initiative and Best Sustainability Initiative. Hill's impressive Cavendish Villas at the highly sustainable Knights Park development in Eddington, Cambridge won Best Family Home at the 2022 Evening Standard New Homes Awards, as well as Best House and Best Exterior Design at the 2022 WhatHouse? Awards. In addition, Hill has been awarded the 5-star status in the Home Builders Federation's annual Customer Satisfaction Survey for the past six years.
The Hill Group is donating 200 fully equipped modular homes to local authorities and homeless charities as part of a £15 million pledge through its Foundation 200 programme, launched in 2019 to mark Hill's 20th anniversary.
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For more information, contact The Oracle Group PR Agency on Tel: 020 8394 2821 or hill@oraclepr.co.uk