Introducing Bristol Abolish Empty Office Blocks, AEOB housing project

[Tony Crofts]

Abolish Empty Office Blocks in Bristol and Build truly affordable housing

a brand new initiative that you or your friends 
might wish to invest in or simply join?
This is no 'ordinary' commercial circular

http://www.aeobhousepeople.org.uk/

Introduction
AEOB has been set up to counter the trend for 
buildings to be kept vacant in pursuit of persquare-
foot office rents while ordinary working people 
cannot afford to buy or rent homes.

AEOB began at a ‘Reconciliation Laboratory’ held 
at Saint Stephens Church in 2012 looking at
the wealth divide in Bristol. It was discussed 
how the financial wealth of some could be
reconciled with the wealth in skills of others 
with housing need. AEOB emerged as an expression
of this reconciliation.

Bristol at present has over 2 million square feet 
of unlet offices – 50 acres – Under Right To Buy
it has been forced to sell off 13,860 council 
houses – changing them from affordable home into
high-cost speculative assets – and now has a 
Housing Waiting List of 14,800. It has only
managed to build 200 affordable homes in the last 
year so the problem is never going to be
solved.

We are issuing a Community Share so concerned 
citizens can invest in buying up empty office
space and converting it back into permanently 
affordable homes. Any investment from £50 to
£20,000 is welcome. We hope that approval will be 
given for investors to enjoy EIS tax relief;
and we are seeking charitable status. This is a 
chance to build a new Peabody Trust for Bristol
and make it into a decent city that houses its 
own people. For more information – ‘Get Involved’
We intend to buy initially a site that will 
provide 22 flats run as a co-operative, with community
café and permaculture gardens to grow vegetables 
and flowers and playspace for children. We
are doing this in association with the St 
Stephen’s Church Rich-Poor Reconciliation Group.
This is an ambitious plan, but the founder owned 
a £1.2 million house in Clifton now set up and
registered as a co-operative. In 1988 he set up 
Stonesfield Community Trust in Oxfordshire (see
‘Exemplars’ ). These histories are instructive of current developments.
The plan will be implemented as and when funds 
allow and in consultation with investors and
members.



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