A Podsmead Legacy

Blackbridge Charitable Community Benefit Society (Blackbridge CCBS) is a community organisation supporting wellbeing, learning, skills and employment advice in Podsmead, Gloucester.

Established in 2021 as part of the legacy of the Podsmead Big Local, Blackbridge CCBS is also leading the development of the community-owned and community-driven Blackbridge Community and Sports Hub.

Planning for a positive future in Podsmead

For the past 10 years, much of the community investment in Podsmead was actively managed by the resident-led organisation Podsmead Big Local (PBL). In 2014, PBL received grant funding from the Big Lottery Fund to support people, identify issues of concern, and propose and resource solutions. The nationwide Big Local programme ends in 2026 and, recognising recent achievements, PBL is now working to build a sustainable legacy that will involve all community stakeholders.

In 2017, Gloucester City Homes (GCH) were awarded funding from the Government’s Estates Regeneration Fund to develop a masterplan for regeneration of the Podsmead 1 Local Super Output Area (LSOA) of the neighbourhood. 

In November 2021, Blackbridge Charitable Community Benefit Society (Blackbridge CCBS) was formed to lead in the development of the Blackbridge Community and Sports Hub which opened in April 2025. 

In Spring 2023, Blackbridge CCBS, Gloucester City Homes and Podsmead Big Local came together with a wide range of stakeholders to form the Podsmead Partnership. The focus of the Partnership was to plan and invest in a positive future for Podsmead and this was developed into ‘Planning for a Positive Future – The Podsmead Partnership Plan’.

However, Gloucester City Homes were unsuccessful in securing planning permission for housing regeneration.  The existing Podsmead Partnership Plan focused on the benefits that regeneration could bring and now that the proposed regeneration is not going ahead, Blackbridge CCBS and Podsmead Partnership will look ahead to what is next and how to generate investment for wider community development in Podsmead. 

You can download and read the Podsmead Partnership Plan ‘Planning for a Positive Future’ here: