Talk to local people on Sandy Park Road and the C-word crops up a lot. That’s ‘C’ for community because the bustling Brislington street is very much the hub of this corner of BS4.
It’s also one of Bristol’s new property hotspots according to housing website Rightmove. Recent research found that Brislington was number two in a national list of locations with the highest increase in the average asking price of a house.
According to Rightmove, the average house price in Brislington leapt from £166,192 back in 2012 to £338,800 now. That’s an increase of 104 per cent.
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For those who don’t know it, Sandy Park Road rises from the former tram depot on the Bath Road, over an old railway bridge and up to Wick Road. The middle section of the road is flanked on both sides by shops and food businesses, starting with the vast Victorian-built Sandringham pub.
In fact, the word ‘sand’ is hard to ignore if you walk around the streets leading off Sandy Park Road. Other nearby roads are called Sandringham, Sandholme, Sandown, Sandwich, Sandbach, Sandhurst and Sand Hill.
On the other side of Sandy Park Road, the streets of Victorian terraces are named after famous public schools and colleges. These include Harrow, Eton, Winchester and Repton.
As with all areas of Bristol, house prices around this part of Brislington are increasing sharply. There is currently a three-bedroom house on Sandy Park Road itself with an asking price of £450,00 and a two-bedroom Victorian terraced house on nearby Sandgate Road is going for £400,000.
Talk to local estate agents and they say the area has become very popular recently. Some say it’s attracting families who might have initially looked at pricier Southville and simply realised they get more for their money in Brislington.
Part of the area’s appeal is good public transport links - Sandy Park Road is on the main number one bus route from Broomhill to Cribbs Causeway via the city centre - and the close proximity to the Bath Road and Wells Road. It’s also a 20-minute walk to Temple Meads railway station.
With a butcher, greengrocers, fish and chip shop, numerous hairdressers and beauty salons, delicatessen, bakery and post office, Sandy Park Road is the sort of busy, well-supported local shopping area that many parts of the city lack. It’s also home to a number of other small businesses such as Enchanted Balloons, which sells party decorations for weddings, baby showers and just about any other special occasion you can think of.
The shop was opened eight years ago by Carollyn Magic, who says Sandy Park Road has changed a lot in that time. She also welcomes the arrival of new businesses.
“It has got a lot busier over the years and we have a nice range of small shops on Sandy Park Road," says Carollyn. "The community spirit is very friendly and the shopkeepers help one another.”
A few doors down from Enchanted Balloons is Sandy Park Greengrocers, which sells high-quality fruit and veg, including lots from the West Country - everything from Cheddar strawberries to broad beans grown in Bath. Kelly Hatton opened the shop in September 2020 at the height of the pandemic but she has quickly gained strong local support and business is booming.
“Our shop is always busy with our loyal customers and trade hasn’t slowed down,” says Kelly. “I am, however, conscious of the rising costs and try to offer a range of options so our shop is affordable for all.
“A number of new shops have opened in the past few years including ours so I would expect this street to become even more popular. For me, the appeal of Sandy Park Road is that it has a strong community, one that I haven’t experienced in any other area in the same way.
“I feel this is deep-rooted and has always been this way. The people are great, too.”
Across the road, a steady stream of locals sit outside Deli @ Sandy Park for a coffee and catch-up. It’s especially popular with weary, post-school-run parents after the morning drop-off.
A small shop packed with Italian and local products, it even has a refrigerated vending machine for fresh milk. Customers can refill their bottles for £1 a litre, a service that has proven very popular.
Vicky Burt and Giorgio Travaglia bought and took over the deli in November 2019 and although the couple had to adapt and change the business to get through the pandemic and lockdowns, they’ve already become the go-to food shop in the area. Vicky says it has been a steep learning curve but they have come out of it with a better idea about what people want from a local deli.
“It has been an eventful couple of years but the business has changed substantially since we took over. One of those changes is that the shop has a stronger sense of Giorgio’s Italian heritage and selling locally-sourced produce as well as Italian.
“In the last couple of years Sandy Park Road has got a lot busier and the demographic has changed. There are lots of young families and young people moving into the area although the house prices around have soared too.
“What makes the Sandy Park Road area so special is the people who live here. Everybody cares about each other and everyone supports each other.
"There are people from all walks of life living here and it’s a great location close to some beautiful areas of nature and parks and close to the city centre. too. It’s refreshing to see a high street doing well.”
Another shop to open on Sandy Park Road during the pandemic was Briscycle. A business that recycles old bicycles, it started eight years ago but relocated to Sandy Park Road during lockdown in May 2020.
Briscycle is run by Andrew Bebesi and his wife and he says the move has worked out well for the business. He also loves being a part of Sandy Park Road.
“We have lived in this area for almost two decades now and it is becoming more and more interesting, with a number of great shops opening that are well worth a visit. People are more interested in shopping locally and the number of new customers visiting Sandy Park Road is constantly growing.
“Cycling was very much in demand during Covid and also recently due to the energy crisis again. It is a healthy, eco-friendly and cost-effective means of transport so the demand for servicing existing bikes is also increasing noticeably.
“We were mostly selling new bicycles during Covid but bike sales have dropped. More and more customers are looking for well-built, reliable second-hand bikes now.
“This is a vibrant area and it has a uniqueness, like no other. A lot of young families move to the area and this is great to see, but there are also a great number of people who have lived all their life in Brislington, going back generations.
“All the businesses here are like a big family. We work, laugh and cry together. It’s great being a Brislingtonian!”
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