Filwood Broadway to benefit from £14.5 million investment
News announced today that council bid has been successful
Filwood Broadway has just received £14.5 million to transform the neglected high street – as part of the government’s Levelling Up Fund to create jobs and boost the economy.
Knowle West is one of over 100 areas across the UK to benefit from a share of £2.1 billion from Round 2 of the fund – which by providing greater investment in communities hopes to “restore people’s pride in the places which they live”.
This project will help kickstart Filwood Broadway’s regeneration and turn it into a “social, economic, cultural heart for South Bristol” .
Working closely with local communities and stakeholders, Bristol City Council hopes to achieve this transformation by developing derelict land into “high quality housing, community, and commercial space” and “re-vitalising the high street and public realm”.
Plans have been approved for 30 council homes and community/commercial space on the site of the old cinema, former garage and land behind Filwood Broadway – and there are also proposals, submitted in October 2021 by LiveWest, for 29 homes on the old swimming pool site.
The new funding will also be used to invest in Filwood Community Centre as a “dynamic cultural hub” as well as restoring outdoor spaces for sports and play. This includes a new multi-use games area (MUGA) planned for Filwood Playing Fields – to replace the one which would be lost to the LiveWest development.
Bristol Mayor Marvin Rees took to Twitter today to celebrate the news:
And Bristol South MP Karin Smyth tweeted: “Well done all involved securing this funding.”
Chair of Filwood Broadway Working Group (FBWG) and Community in Partnership Knowle West (CIPKW), which runs Filwood Community Centre, Tim Jones, said: “This is great news, and all credit to the council team that pulled it off.
“FBWG asked the council to include as much as possible of the Filwood Broadway Regeneration plans in the bid, and we are looking forward to seeing what the bid contains.”
Filwood is the only area in Bristol to receive funding in Round 2, with Weston-Super-Mare in North Somerset being awarded nearly £20 million to transform the town.
