Gavin Bridge

Very rarely does any good news come out of the Private Rented Sector (PRS) Generally, those who depend upon it are critical of their experiences: properties that are cramped, over- crowded or unfit for habitation; or landlords who don’t respect the privacy of their tenants, don’t respond to requests for urgent repair (or if they do it’s to serve notice on the hapless tenant) and keep deposits for spurious reasons; or lettings agents finding ingenious methods to fleece tenants of their hard… Mehr zeigen

Very rarely does any good news come out of the Private Rented Sector (PRS) Generally, those who depend upon it are critical of their experiences: properties that are cramped, over- crowded or unfit for habitation; or landlords who don’t respect the privacy of their tenants, don’t respond to requests for urgent repair (or if they do it’s to serve notice on the hapless tenant) and keep deposits for spurious reasons; or lettings agents finding ingenious methods to fleece tenants of their hard earned money. In general, it’s been a rather negative experience for many. Weniger anzeigen

"Gavin Bridge is a director at Cubex, the Bristol-based developer behind Finzels Reach, featuring homes, offices, a hotel, & in 2019 welcoming a new brewery & brewpub from Left Handed Giant & a new Spicer & Cole cafe"

Here are Gavin’s Bristol favourites:

'Hart’s Bakery'
“Bristol has such a fantastic food scene & I could highlight so many, but Hart’s Bakery has been a long-time favourite of mine since Laura worked in a first-floor room off Hampton Lane in Cotham. Her artisan… Mehr zeigen

"Gavin Bridge is a director at Cubex, the Bristol-based developer behind Finzels Reach, featuring homes, offices, a hotel, & in 2019 welcoming a new brewery & brewpub from Left Handed Giant & a new Spicer & Cole cafe"

Here are Gavin’s Bristol favourites:

'Hart’s Bakery'
“Bristol has such a fantastic food scene & I could highlight so many, but Hart’s Bakery has been a long-time favourite of mine since Laura worked in a first-floor room off Hampton Lane in Cotham. Her artisan bakery works out of a large Victorian railway arch at Temple Meads, & all their food is prepared, baked & sold from there.”

'St Nicholas Markets'
“I love the quirkiness of St Nicholas Markets. In the summer months, it’s such a fabulous place to sample great street food and its independent vibrancy. I do think it underplays its potential slightly & would be very supportive if it expanded across the road into a new development around St Mary Le Port to create something like Chelsea Market in New York or Borough Market in London.”

'Downend Bikes & Scooters'
... is a family-run business based in Downend where Simon, Josh & Charlotte demonstrate that, although modest in size, they can really look after their customers. Such as me & my Vespa scooter! High streets are undergoing monumental change & for me great service is where companies like this can properly compete against internet-only business.”

'Brandon Hill'
“Our local park. I love walking the family dog Wilson here at any time, but autumn is a particular favourite. My son recommends the swings & basketball hoop.”

'The Floating Harbour'
“For me Bristol is all about the Frome & the Floating Harbour in the city centre. There have been some fantastic developments along the harbourside in the last 30 years & some howlers too. We hope that what we’ve created at Finzels Reach, including Castle Bridge, has been respectful to Bristol residents, visitors & the many businesses and leisure users of the water.”
Click link to see article 👇


Weniger anzeigen

[on Finzels Reach] We’re trying to create something vibrant: independent businesses, not chains, & not a coffee shop theme park – you can see the great success at Wapping Wharf with that kind of thing. We want the right occupiers, rather than the highest rents. Companies involved so far include Left Handed Giant Brewing Co & Spicer+Cole. You walk along what were effectively medieval streets, hopefully without people throwing out soil on your head!

On one plot we’ve got a concept called… Mehr zeigen

[on Finzels Reach] We’re trying to create something vibrant: independent businesses, not chains, & not a coffee shop theme park – you can see the great success at Wapping Wharf with that kind of thing. We want the right occupiers, rather than the highest rents. Companies involved so far include Left Handed Giant Brewing Co & Spicer+Cole. You walk along what were effectively medieval streets, hopefully without people throwing out soil on your head!

On one plot we’ve got a concept called build-to-rent, which is all about service – if you go out for work & a washer needs fitting, by the time you come home it’s done. People working from home have space to work alongside other residents, there’s a rooftop terrace, clubs, an active residents’ manager – interaction makes things more vibrant. Security of tenancy is very important, so we’re working with Grainger – 50% of their leases are over three years.

I’d like to see Bristol embracing modern architecture, with quality developments in the suburbs as well as the centre. We’re quite a conservative city, we don’t like change; I’d encourage us to be more bold.

The planning application will be submitted next month on developing the Avon Fire & Rescue Service HQ. There’ll be more than 10,000m2 of office space and circa 300 apartments, including 20% affordable housing. It’s really important we offer a range of housing at different price levels and tenure. The industry has an obligation to do something directly around homelessness; we’re uniquely placed to help.

In Bedminster we’re working with partners on East Street Mews, transforming a dilapidated property into 11 apartments for young homeless people. We’ve so far pooled about 1,500 pro bono hours on what will be a £1m project.

Property development gets a poor press – not providing affordable housing, cutting down trees, etc – but we’re not all the same. Weniger anzeigen

As we near completion on the first phase of Finzels Reach, we’ve been reflecting on the last six years, the ups and the downs, and the journey we went on to bring this area of the city to life.

Well, it’s been quite a journey (and a lot of hard work!) but it’s gratifying to see how well this new neighbourhood has been received. Bristol is a city we love, live in, work in and play in so it’s important to us that we make a real and lasting contribution.
When we first took on the… Mehr zeigen

As we near completion on the first phase of Finzels Reach, we’ve been reflecting on the last six years, the ups and the downs, and the journey we went on to bring this area of the city to life.

Well, it’s been quite a journey (and a lot of hard work!) but it’s gratifying to see how well this new neighbourhood has been received. Bristol is a city we love, live in, work in and play in so it’s important to us that we make a real and lasting contribution.
When we first took on the neglected former brewery and sugar refinery site, it was widely acknowledged in the city as a major challenge. A previous regeneration scheme had gone into receivership, and it had stalled, leaving a single office building, only 25 per cent let, together with 140 apartments, half of which lay empty and unsold.
Six years later, it is now becoming a flourishing new neighbourhood, opening up a part of the city that had been closed off to the public for over 200 years. Finzels Reach, one of the largest mixed-use regeneration projects in the South West, includes over 440 new homes with a range of sizes, styles and tenures that’s enabling a balanced, mixed community. As well as a landmark new green office building, there’s new contemporary workspace within unique, historic former brewery buildings, plus a new 168-bed hotel and restaurants, cafes and a microbrewery on the way.

But placemaking – giving somewhere its own unique identity and making it a place people want to be – is about much more than just buildings.......

Click on the link belwo to read the article in full ......👇
Weniger anzeigen

This morning, John Darvall of BBC Radio Bristol interviewed Gavin Bridge of Cubex and David Walton of Developing Health & Independence about the East Street Mews project, housing and homelessness in Bristol.

You can listen to this interesting & in-depth discussion here from 2:10 onwards 👇

"THE FIRST BREEAM OUTSTANDING OFFICE OUTSIDE LONDON IS CURRENTLY UNDER CONSTRUCTION IN BRISTOL – THE AURORA. JAMES KENNY MET UP WITH THE WILLMOTT DIXON SITE TEAM AND DEVELOPER CUBEX"

Read the interview on page 28 👇

"Cubex director Gavin Bridge explains how the scale has tipped in Bristol for office schemes as Finzels Reach secures a pre-let"

Click link to see article 👇

"Following on from Business Leader’s recent video interview with Cubex director Gavin Bridge in Bristol, we also discussed Bristol’s ambition for the future, talking about stalled development sites in Bristol and encouraging Bristol City Council to use Compulsory Purchase Orders ("CPO's") more extensively"

Click link to see article 👇

"Brief clip of me and my fellow speakers Sir Eddie Lister Chair of Homes England (HCA), Zoe Wilcox Planning Service Director & Cllr Paul Smith Cabinet Member for Housing, Bristol City Council and David Eccles Head of Community Engagement EDF Energy"

Click link to see clip 👇

"Business Leader Magazine recently spoke to Cubex director, Gavin Bridge in Bristol as he shared his thoughts on the importance of affordable housing in the city, the region and throughout the country."

Click link to see clip 👇

Cubex are looking for forward thinking names. Some current suggestions include Curvy Wurvy, Old Brewery Bridge, The Drawbridge, The Gert Bridge and Brunel’s Walk. Bridgey McBridgeface has also been suggested, but Bridge says it’s unlikely to be chosen as the final name as, he says: “While it might be funny for a few minutes, we’re hoping for a name to be proud of.”
The panel will represent a range of local interests, including representatives from Cubex, local politicians, Bristol Civic… Mehr zeigen

Cubex are looking for forward thinking names. Some current suggestions include Curvy Wurvy, Old Brewery Bridge, The Drawbridge, The Gert Bridge and Brunel’s Walk. Bridgey McBridgeface has also been suggested, but Bridge says it’s unlikely to be chosen as the final name as, he says: “While it might be funny for a few minutes, we’re hoping for a name to be proud of.”
The panel will represent a range of local interests, including representatives from Cubex, local politicians, Bristol Civic Society, Bristol Shopping Quarter, Castle Park Users Group and Sustrans. They will pick a shortlist and the public will be asked to make the final call.
“We like to engage with the city and we thought it would be a good idea to hack into the quirkiness of Bristol,” Bridge said.

Read the article in full by clicking here 👇
Weniger anzeigen