YTL Developments announces new funding agreement with Southern Brooks Community Partnerships

Published by

Sam Pither

YTL Developments and Southern Brooks Community Partnerships will support North Bristol’s community development under a new funding agreement.

The agreement will support an added community development worker at Brabazon: the new neighbourhood being built on the former site of Filton Airfield, along with a number of activities aimed at integrating the new development with existing communities in South Gloucestershire and North Bristol.

The new, two year programme which is worth close to £50,000 will see Southern Brooks running neighbourhood events including welcome workshops and community meetings, funding local groups such as book clubs, gardening groups and parenting networks, managing newsletters and social media channels and identifying and supporting potential community champions.

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.”

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 new partnership is the latest in a number of community initiatives by YTL Developments. In November of last year the Bristol-based company submitted a planning application to testore Hangar 16U, a Grade II listed aircraft hangar, into a 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 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. It is 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, adds: “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 said: “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.”

Sam Pither

Sam is the Regional Editor of Biz News, responsible for both Hampshire and Dorset. A new recruit to journalism, Sam started writing for the Business Magazine as a freelancer in May of 2022 after completing his degree in English at University College London. His passion for local businesses and ability to tell a story soon caught the attention of the publication’s management team and have led to his meteoric rise. Sam, who lives in central Reading, takes a particular interest in technology, gaming and food and drink, having been a chef before starting his degree.