New Funding Partnership to Help Community in North Bristol to Come Together at Brabazon

YTL Developments and Southern Brooks have announced a new funding agreement to support community development and cohesion across North Bristol.

Southern Brooks has been leading community development work across South Gloucestershire and North Bristol for over 30 years.

Now new funding from YTL Developments is enabling them to bring their experience to bear at Brabazon – the new neighbourhood being built on the historic former Filton Airfield.

The new partnership will fund an extra community development worker and a range of activities designed to integrate the new neighbourhood at Brabazon with existing communities across South Gloucestershire and North Bristol.

Rob Bartlett, Marketing & Sales Manager at YTL Developments, said: “As the birthplace of Concorde, the former Filton Airfield was known for the collective spirit of a community that changed the world. Brabazon is being designed to live up to that legacy, creating a new neighbourhood to inspire the next generation.

Crucially, the partnership – worth almost £50,000 over an initial two-year period – is designed to engage existing local communities – from Bradley Stoke to Patchway, Henbury and Brentry - as well as new residents at Brabazon. Under the programme, Southern Brooks will:

Run neighbourhood events, from welcome workshops and community meetings to drop-in sessions and pop-ups.

Provide targeted funding for local groups, helping anything from book clubs to gardening groups and parenting networks with everyday expenses.

Manage newsletters and social media channels to communicate community information.

Identify and support potential community champions.

Southern Brooks and YTL Developments will use the Royal Society for Public Health Community Spirit Framework to measure the success and help target support where it is needed most.

Alison Findlay, CEO at Southern Brooks, said: “We are delighted to be working in partnership with YTL Developments. There is already a strong local community culture in North Bristol and South Gloucestershire. This new funding partnership will help that to expand even further, creating a sustainable and cohesive community that works for everyone in society.”

The partnership with Southern Brooks is just one of a number of community initiatives instigated by YTL Developments. In November 2022, a planning application was submitted to restore the historic Grade-II listed aircraft hangar 16U into a new local social hub.

The building - which once housed ‘Battle of Britain’ fighter planes – will be transformed into a brand-new public library, café, gym and community centre, incorporating quiet pods for working or studying, activity rooms that will host a busy calendar of social events, and a large hall that will be home to multi-faith groups and a perfect venue for community events. If planning consent is confirmed in the coming weeks, construction will start this Summer with the new community centre set to open in 2024.

YTL Developments has also recently launched new pathways into employment for local young people. They are working with Bristol Talent Partnership to hold taster sessions about careers in property, launched a work experience programme for 16 year-olds and introduced university placement opportunities for students.

Alison Findlay, CEO at Southern Brooks, added: “South Gloucestershire and North Bristol have needed new community spaces for some time. Hangar 16U, Brabazon Park and the new transport links at Brabazon will be brilliant places for local residents to come together. This holistic approach to building sustainable communities should make a real difference in improving social cohesion, reducing poverty, loneliness and isolation while boosting people’s health and well-being.”

Rob Bartlett, Marketing & Sales Manager at YTL Developments, continued: “Places are about people as much as bricks and buildings, which is why we are delivering community facilities and green spaces that focus on fostering a vibrant and inclusive new community.

“In the next few years Brabazon will be transformed into a new urban quarter that’s not only a great place to live, but to enjoy the best that life has to offer.”