Restoration work underway at Brabazon on new North Bristol community hub

By Nicky Godding

15 March 2024

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Before and 'after' at Brabazo

YTL Developments has started construction on Hangar 16U, a new community hub in North Bristol, housed in an historic listed aircraft hangar.

Construction work on Hangar 16U at Brabazon – the new city district being built on the former Filton Airfield.

It follows approval for the revised masterplan for Brabazon at the end of last month.

Hangar 16U was originally used to assemble and maintain aircraft in the Airfield’s aviation heyday.

Beneath its Belfast trusses, a community of engineers and designers created new technologies that shaped the future of flight.

Now this beautiful brick-built structure will have a new lease of life as a local community hub at Brabazon for residents from across North Bristol and South Gloucestershire.

Downstairs there will be an open-plan café, quiet areas, activity rooms for events, and a fitness centre with cardio machines and weight-training facilities.

Upstairs will feature dedicated youth spaces, more activity rooms and a large social space.

The 15-acre Brabazon Park to the West will include children’s playgrounds and public lawns.

To the East, Hangar 16U will open onto a new public square that will be a focal point for The Hangar District, the first phase of new homes at Brabazon. A range of studio, one and two-bedroom apartments and two, three and four-bedroom homes at The Hangar District are on sale now, with prices starting from under £200,000.

Designed by Bristol-based architects Ferguson Mann, the restoration plans ensure the preservation of the hangar's unique features, including its iconic Belfast trusses and intricate red brickwork.

Construction work is now well underway, with the hangar's original doors having been removed ready to be restored and rehung. Construction is expected to last approximately 18 months, meaning Hangar 16U should open to the public in Summer / Autumn 2025.

Sebastian Loyn, Planning and Development Director at YTL Developments, said: “As the birthplace of Concorde, this former Airfield was the centre of a community that changed the world. Our aim is to live up to that legacy by reimagining this historic hangar as a vibrant social hub, returning it to the heart of the community once again.

“Hangar 16U will provide something for everyone; a place for all ages and for all interests, for this generation and the next.

“The restoration of Hangar 16U is another sign of our commitment to the local community and to creating a truly sustainable neighbourhood at Brabazon. Our vision is to create the space, connectivity and opportunities that will drive local prosperity for the next 100 years.”

By Nicky Godding

Nicky Godding is editor of The Business Magazine. Before her journalism career, she worked mainly in public relations moving into writing when she was invited to launch Retail Watch, a publication covering retail and real estate across Europe.

After some years of constant travelling, she tucked away her passport and concentrated on business writing, co-founding a successful regional business magazine. She has interviewed some of the UK’s most successful entrepreneurs who have built multi-million-pound businesses and reported on many science and technology firsts.

She reports on the region’s thriving business economy from start-ups, family businesses and multi-million-pound corporations, to the professionals that support their growth and the institutions that educate the next generation of business leaders.