The best camera deals for January 2020: Canon, Sony, Nikon, and more
Smartphone cameras have become seriously good in the last few years, but for serious photography, even the sharpest phone cam is no replacement for a proper handheld camera. High-quality digital cameras are not exactly cheap pieces of equipment, though — the best ones from brand-name manufacturers like Sony, Canon, Panasonic, and Nikon are often considerably more expensive than even premium flagship smartphones — so it behooves amateur and professional photographers alike to do some research before buying and to take advantage of whatever camera deals and bundle discounts they can find.
The big 2019 holiday sales have come and gone; however, retailers are still running plenty of deals and promotions into 2020, and we’ll be covering them all right here. Read on for our up-to-date list of best camera deals on DSLRs, mirrorless models, point-and-shoots, and lens bundles for January 2020. Of course, you can’t get by with just a camera; you’ll also need interchangeable lenses (depending on what type of camera you’re using), memory cards, carrying cases, tripods, and other odds and ends, so we’ve included a handful of nice camera deals on those accessories as well so you can start things off on the right foot and save even more.
Mario Calvo/Unsplash
Modern DSLR cameras cover perhaps the widest range of features, capabilities, and — naturally — price points. Entry-level models can be had for around $300 or even less if you buy refurbished, while high-end professional-grade units run well north of $2,000 (and much more on top of that once you consider the different zoom lenses that are available, something that is easily a complete topic all its own). Serious hobbyists and professionals have long favored these cameras, which feature a reflexing mirror (“DSLR” stands for “digital single-lens reflex”) that reflects the image of what you’re pointing at directly into the optical viewfinder.
This mirror then simply flips out of the way to reveal the imaging sensor when you shoot, giving you an accurate and immediate photograph of your subject without the lag that mirrorless and point-and-shoot camera sensors experience. The digital single-lens reflex imaging system also requires very little power, meaning your camera’s battery can last a long time before needing to be recharged or swapped out (which is a boon if you’re carrying it around all day).
DSLRs are not as dominant as they once were due to the growing popularity of mirrorless cameras, but this is still generally the first place aspiring photographers should start looking when they’re in the market for their first “real” camera — and with great entry-level options and ongoing camera deals, there’s never been a better time than now to shop for one.
Mirrorless Camera Deals 
Daven Mathies/Digital Trends
At first glance, mirrorless cameras look much like their DSLR counterparts, and they are used for much the same purpose — that is, taking clear, super-detailed, professional-quality photographs. What sets them apart is their imaging system (among other details). Simply put, mirrorless cameras lack the reflexing mirror found inside DSLRs, hence their name, although they still boast many of the same features and functions, such as the ability to use interchangeable zoom lenses.
Mirrorless cameras are newer than DSLRs and have greatly increased in popularity in recent years. Instead of using a reflex mirror that covers the image sensor until the picture is taken, a mirrorless camera has its sensor exposed to light (and thus it “sees” your subject) at all times. This lack of an internal reflex apparatus means that mirrorless camera bodies are often more compact, and as the technology has matured and caught up to DSLR designs, many serious hobbyists and professionals now prefer these.
Point-and-Shoot Camera Deals 
A point-and-shoot camera is probably what most people think of when they hear “digital camera.” These units are typically more compact and pocket-friendly than larger DSLR and mirrorless cameras. They’re ideal for times when your smartphone camera won’t cut it but you don’t want to be lugging a bulky DSLR around (and that’s not even mentioning extras like lens attachments which only add to your load), making them great for vacations, family get-togethers, and other occasions where you’ll be taking a bunch of pictures but photography itself isn’t your primary aim.
Point-and-shoot cameras are also typically cheaper than professional-grade models (although the best ones with more advanced features can definitely be pricey), so they’re a good option for people who want better photos but aren’t interested in pursuing photography as a serious hobby or career.
Looking for more great stuff? Find tech deals, fall sales, and much more on our curated deals page.
We strive to help our readers find the best deals on quality products and services, and we choose what we cover carefully and independently. The prices, details, and availability of the products and deals in this post may be subject to change at anytime. Be sure to check that they are still in effect before making a purchase.
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Editors' Recommendations20 of the best learning holidays in the UK and Europe
© Provided by The Guardian Photograph: David Lyons/Alamy Surfing, County Antrim 
© Photograph: David Lyons/Alamy Catch a break … surfers at White Rocks Strand, Portrush, Country Antrim.
Portrush is a bracing but beautiful place to learn to surf. Despite having two top surf beaches, it is far less crowded than beaches in Devon and Cornwall. But for totally empty breaks, Portrush Surf School also runs one- to three-day surf tours to hidden spots along the west coast of Ireland. There are at least two surf sessions a day, with coaching for all levels from beginners to advanced, plus visits to off-the-beaten track castles, pubs and restaurants. Accommodation is flexible, from surf lodges to boutique hotels, depending on budget. The trips are limited to five surfers plus instructors, and the group travels by minibus.
Landscape photography, Isle of Lewis
Hebridean Adventures runs liveaboard wildlife-watching boat trips from Stornoway on the Isle of Lewis. This year, it is also running easier-to-access activity cruises from Mallaig and Ullapool on the Scottish mainland, including hiking, sea kayaking and photography. The inaugural landscape photography trip from Mallaig will visit some of the most photogenic spots on the west Highland coast and the Isle of Skye, approaching it by sea for a distinctive perspective. The voyage is suitable for all photography levels, including beginners, and is led by Angus Mackie, a professional photographer and tutor, who will offer guidance on landscape interpretation and composition. Participants sleep aboard the nine-berth MV Monadhliath, a converted fishing boat with two raised viewing decks to spot whales and dolphins, and go ashore by dinghy.
Chi running, Portugal
Gray Caws, a chirunning coach based in London, leads annual retreats in Bali (May) and Spain (October). This autumn, he is also running a new tai chi and trails retreat in Portugal. Chi running is suitable for any age or fitness level, and uses the principles of tai chi and qiqong to improve running efficiency, technique and breathing, and to reduce the risk of injury. On the new retreat, there will be daily guided chi trail running and hiking, tai chi and qiong classes, breathwork and meditation. The price also includes a canoe trip along the Rio Mondego, stopping to picnic and swim, and a massage. Guests stay in a manor house in the mountains in Beira, central Portugal, which has an outdoor pool, olive groves and a kitchen garden.
Knitting, Shetland 
© Provided by The Guardian Knitting holiday Shetland
Competent knitters can hone their skills in Shetland, a knitting hotbed and the birthplace of the Fair Isle jumper. The tour includes knitting workshops with an expert and visits to woolly attractions such as the Shetland Textile Museum, historic woollen mills and contemporary design studios. There is also plenty of sightseeing to be done: highlights include Jarlshof, a prehistoric and Norse settlement; bird sanctuary Sumburgh Head; and Scalloway, the ancient capital with a ruined castle. The first night and last nights are spent at sea on the NorthLink ferry, while the three nights in Shetland are at Busta House hotel, a 16th-century building near Brae that stocks 260 whiskies. Knitters travel by coach, with pickup points in seven Scottish locations, including Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen.
Build a house, Mid Wales
Cat, the Centre for Alternative Technology, is dedicated to finding practical solutions to the climate crisis – and teaching people how to implement them. The short courses on offer at the centre in Machynlleth, Powys, encompass a whole range of sustainable living, from to upcycling furniture (one day, £55) to growing fruit (two days, £130 full board) permaculture (three days, £250 full board). One of the most popular is the four-day Build a Tiny House course. Students learn how to create their own small-carbon-footprint miniature house, including building the floor, walls, roof and windows; designing the layout; and installing a compost toilet and renewable energy systems. The on-site accommodation is, of course, in eco-buildings heated by biomass boilers and solar-thermal cells.
Dancing, Italy
Idillio D’Arte runs cultural trips in Puglia, southern Italy, including a week focusing on contemporary dance. Carlo Melis, a dancer and choreography, teaches a two-hour workshop each morning. Classes are suitable for everyone and may include some local dancers, too. The dancing is followed by visits to historic towns such as Alberobello, Ostuni and Polignano a Mare, or a guided walk around Brindisi old town, with wine tasting and dinner. Guests stay in Masseria Gravelle, a country hotel based on a converted 18th-century barn near Conversano, another ancient town.
Sailing, Spain
Rubicon 3 runs sailing trips around the world on 18-metre clipper expedition yachts. No sailing experience is needed: first-time crew members learn a full range of nautical skills from a skipper and mate, from navigating to how to pick the perfect anchorage. There is a full day of basic training on each trip – learning about points of sail, tacking, gybing, reefing and what to do if someone goes overboard – followed by daily sailing lessons. For 2020, a new Galician Adventure traverses Spain’s Atlantic coast, exploring the region’s distinctive rias (deep inlets) and pretty fishing villages. The journey starts and ends in the harbour town of Muros; highlights include a couple of days on the idyllic Cíes Islands, and visits to the quaint village of Combarro, the walled town of Baiona and far-westerly Cape Finisterre.
Furniture-making, Devon
The National Trust’s 150-plus working holidays are an affordable way to learn rural skills such as hedge-laying and drystone walling. One unusual new holiday this year involves learning how to make traditional outdoor furniture. Ranger Paul, a master woodworker, will teach volunteers how to make cleft chestnut gates and benches, to be installed around Woolacombe on the north Devon coast. Participants stay in a bunkhouse on the Watersmeet Estate. The NT also has a new Woodman’s Weekend on the Slindon Estate in West Sussex, learning to make timber products such as fencing material and charcoal (£140, 10-14 July).
Making music, UK 
© Provided by The Guardian Woman playing a harmonica
HF Holidays is known for its walking breaks, but it also has a range of trips where guests can learn new skills, including painting, dancing, singing, cooking and playing musical instruments. Several are aimed at people who want to brush up their music skills or play as part of a group, such as a Dixieland Allsorts Band break in the Peak District, which is suitable for players of any instrument at Grade 1 or above. Others are aimed at complete beginners who want to learn a new instrument, such as the harmonica (in Snowdonia) or the ukulele (in Northumberland). For the undecided, there is a new Musical Taster Weekend in the North York Moors, where beginners can try pop, folk and jazz, using their voices, percussion instruments and ukuleles. All trips are based in country houses in scenic locations – the taster weekend takes place at Larpool Hall on the edge of Whitby, which has 14 acres of grounds and views over the Esk Valley.
Crafty breaks, Cornwall
Bedruthan, a clifftop hotel above Mawgan Porth beach in north Cornwall, launched lots of “making breaks” in 2019 and is adding to them this year. Guests can learn crafts such as calligraphy, crochet or jewellery making, or go on a baking course; new workshops will be added over the coming months. One unusual course covers the basics of pyrography: the art of decorating wood with burn marks. Participants make a set of decorated coasters or wooden bunting to take home. Workshops take place in a seaview studio and include tea and cake; they can be booked as day courses or overnight breaks. The latter includes B&B, a three-course dinner and use of the hotel’s spa.
Writing, Malvern Hills
Related: How a writing retreat in Spain got my creative juices flowing
Budding JK Rowlings can apply for Handheld Press’s science fiction and fantasy writing retreat in the Malvern Hills. The retreat includes masterclasses from Una McCormack, a New York Times bestselling author and creative writing lecturer, and Helen Marshall, a World Fantasy Award-winning author. There is also a workshop on how to pitch your book from Handheld Press, lots of time to write, either privately or in shared spaces, and optional group walks. The retreat is aimed at creative writing students and published authors (meaning at least one piece of writing has been published professionally). Dell House is a 10-bedroom building in two acres of peaceful wooded gardens.
Pottery, Lake District
Gosforth Pottery runs residential courses for all abilities throughout the year. Morning tuition covers throwing pots, handmaking pots, decorative techniques and other aspects. The week concludes with students’ pots being fired in a raku kiln. Afternoons and evenings can be spent potting (the studio is open until 10pm), or walking in Wasdale, Ennerdale and Eskdale; painting and sketching; or visiting the Cumbrian coast. The course is run by the husband and wife team behind the pottery from their 17th-century farmhouse, with accommodation in on-site holiday cottages. The price includes homecooked food based on traditional Cumbrian recipes.
Painting, France
Villa Shambhala, a four-bedroom property on the banks of the Dordogne in south-west France, has a “living gallery” and an art studio. The critic Élie Faure once lived next door, and the house was visited by artists such as Diego Rivera and Chaïm Soutine. Now the owner, art expert Kit Bentley, is running residential courses taught by the French contemporary artist Eric Bourse. All abilities are welcome, from beginners who want a taster to more experienced painters aiming to develop their style and technique. The medium is acrylics and all art students will complete a small canvas by the end of the course. When taking a break from painting, guests can relax in the walled garden or on the roof terrace, go kayaking on the river, walk to the nearest village, Pessac, or drive 20 minutes into Saint-Émilion.
Watersports, Greece
Wildwind has been running sailing holidays from Vassiliki on the island of Lefkas for 30 years. Now it has branched out into Wildwind Adventures, for people who would like to try a range of watersports. A typical week’s holiday involves at least one full day learning to sail a dinghy or catamaran, a windsurfing lesson, a one-day scuba diving course, two mornings’ paddleboarding, one sea kayaking session and a snorkelling safari. Guests can also go mountain biking if they have the energy. There is a choice of two small, beachfront hotels to stay in, and weekly barbecues, live music at the beach bar and cocktail nights at the pool bar.
Fly fishing, Devon
The Arundell Arms, close to the Devon/Cornwall border, is one of England’s leading fishing hotels. It controls the fishing rights on seven rivers, has run a fly-fishing school for more than 75 years and employs two full-time instructors. Complete beginners who go on a four-day course will learn to fish for river and lake trout by themselves. The course is broken down into a day’s casting instruction, a day’s lake fishing and two days’ river fishing. The practical lessons are combined with workshops and lectures on tackle, safety, fly-tying, entomology, river craft and fish behaviour. There is a two-day condensed course for those who have only a weekend to spare. Both are suitable for ages 11 and above.
Vegan cooking, London
There has been a fourfold increase in the number of vegans in the UK over the past five years, and many more people are cutting down on meat and dairy. So what better time to go on a vegan cooking course? On a five-day course at the Avenue Cookery School in Wandsworth, south-west London, students learn to cook sweet and savoury dishes, using nuts, pulses, grains, tofu, miso, seitan and tempeh, and dairy and egg alternatives. Mornings are spent cooking (then eating) a two-course lunch, with more demonstrations and dishes in the afternoons. Time is also spent on knife skills, presentation, learning to cook with leftovers and how to avoid waste. On Thursday, students throw a dinner party to show off their new repertoire. Optional accommodation is in a family-run B&B.
Spanish, Mallorca 
© Provided by The Guardian Palma
International House runs intensive Spanish courses in eight beautiful cities: Barcelona, Madrid, San Sebastián, Valencia, Seville, Cádiz, Málaga and Palma. The emphasis in on speaking and understanding, so classes are conducted entirely in Spanish, but attention is also paid to reading and writing skills. In Palma, Mallorca, students can combine studying with exploring the island – lessons take place from 9.30am to 1.30pm, leaving afternoons free for swimming, sunbathing and sightseeing – or learn another skill on a combined Spanish and sailing course. There are classes for all levels and it is open to anyone over 16, although there is also a two-week over-50s course (€490, 1 June). Students stay with host families (from €215 a week) or in shared apartments (from €205 a week).
Singing, Ireland
The Song House is a retreat centre near the Muckish mountain in County Donegal. It runs week-long singing holidays and short breaks, such as a weekend of songs and walks on the Wild Atlantic Way, or a singing and chanting weekend. Songs – which may include traditional English, Irish and American folk songs – are taught by ear so there is no need to read music; most retreats are open to everyone (one is for more experienced singers and one is for choir leaders). The retreats are about community, harmony and nature. Singers cook and eat together, play games, tell stories, explore the landscape and meet local people. The Song House has five bedrooms and there’s a B&B just up the road for any additional guests.
Open-water swimming, Mallorca
Swimming holiday pioneer SwimTrek runs Introduction to Open Water trips in Mallorca for those who want to make the transition from the pool to the sea. There is plenty of one-on-one and group training in a 50-metre pool, working on swimming technique and open-water swimming skills, plus video analysis. This is combined with sea swims in sheltered bays, culminating in a boat-escorted swim crossing to an island reef in Es Carbo Bay near Colonia St Jordi in the south-east of the island. The trip is suitable for anyone who can swim 500 metres in a pool; swimmers with some open-water experience may prefer the Open Water Development holiday. Accommodation is the seafront Hotel Romántica in Colonia de Sant Jordi, a short walk from Es Trenc, one of the island’s best beaches.
Freediving, Canary Islands
Freediving is the older, low-tech alternative to scuba diving, using breath control and body positioning techniques to swim underwater. Much Better Adventures runs small group trips (two or three people) to learn the skill on El Hierro, the second smallest and most remote of the Canary Islands, which has world-class diving in the Mar de las Calmas marine reserve. The course includes 10 90-minute practical sessions in natural pools and open water, and 5½ hours in the classroom. Students will achieve AIDA 1 and AIDA 2 freediving certification, and by the end of the course should be able to hold their breath for two-plus minutes, swim underwater for 40 metres and dive to depths of 16-20 metres. It is suitable for anyone who can swim for about 10 minutes. Students stay in a seaview apartment in La Caleta.
Looking for a holiday with a difference? Browse Guardian Holidays to see a range of fantastic trips
Housing crisis: What the rest of the world can teach Ireland
“The Housing Fix” is an Irish Times series exploring solutions to Ireland’s housing crisis – arguably the biggest social and economic issue facing the country and its next government – in the run-up to the general election. For more, read Cliff Taylor’s 12-step plan of action, David McWilliams’s economic analysis and our voter’s guide to the parties’ housing manifestos.
LOW-COST RENT Vienna, Austria
Among the most discussed ways of improving outcomes for renters is the so-called “Vienna model”. Roughly based on a type of tenancy popular in the Austrian capital, the model is based on what is called “cost rental”.
In a cost rental model, the rent paid by a tenant is based on the cost of supplying the building and covering ongoing cost, rather than including a profit margin. Those who cannot afford such a rent level are often given housing subsidies to live in the development.
Under a cost rental model, the buildings are constructed by housing associations, often with support from state-backed or brokered low-cost loans, which reduce the cost of financing the development, leading to more affordable rents. As servicing the debt gets cheaper, ultimately resulting in the loan being paid back, equity generated in the project can be used to build more developments.
Under the Austrian system, tenants can also acquire rights, and some schemes allow tenants to purchase their apartments outright if they have the means. The housing association then recycles the funding into other schemes.
Ireland is beginning to experiment with cost rental – a 155-unit development by Respond and Tuath housing associations, with Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council and the Housing Agency, will have some 50 two-bedroom cost rental homes.
However, some Opposition TDs, including Sinn Féin’s Eoin Ó Broin, have queried whether the rent to be charged – €1,200 per month – is affordable. He has suggested that a truly affordable level of rent for a household whose income is between €40,000 and €70,000 would be between €700 and €900 per month.
The other wrinkle in cost rental is simply the amount of time it takes to become effective and self-perpetuating. Housing associations become more effective as the loan finance is paid down, which takes at least a decade. Meanwhile, the planning process and development timelines mean it will be two years or more before a scheme signed off on today comes on stream.
As Rosalind Carroll of the Residential Tenancies Board points out, other countries started working on concepts like this after the second World War. “We have a period where we have to catch up now”.
Jack Horgan Jones
A proposal by developer Pat Crean to build 650 units in fields beside St Anne’s Park in Raheny fell foul of a court action by local residents. Photograph: Alan Betson THE GREEN SPACE DEBATE UK, California, Germany
It is 20 years since Irish economist Colm McCarthy observed in this newspaper that there are “an awful lot of green blobs” on the map of Dublin. McCarthy suggested that some of the capital’s parks and green zones be used for residential development in a city that was then, as now, wailing for accommodation.
When he suggested building on the 240-acre St Anne’s Park in Raheny, one reader wrote a letter wondering if McCarthy’s intervention was an April Fool’s joke. But was the wider idea really such a crazy one?
Just over two years ago, similar sentiments were put forward by Owen Keegan, chief executive of Dublin City Council, who pointed out that 26 per cent of the capital’s land is zoned for open space, green buffers where building is prohibited. Some of these were underused and offered little amenity value, he said. Better to build homes on parts of them and upgrade the remainder for better community use.
This, too, was shot down. But, increasingly, in other developed countries where housing crises are biting, the unthinkable is being considered.
Britain pioneered the use of city-constraining green belts in the postwar years, and they remain central to its spatial policy. The buffer around London is bigger than the city itself, and many blame it for stratospheric house prices. In 2018, a delegation of MPs approached former UK prime minister Theresa May asking her to relax the rules. She refused.
There was a similar debate in Germany, where in 2017 a new zoning status was instead created to allow higher-density construction. California recently implemented rule changes along similar lines.
Critics will say that green zones are the city’s lungs. But would the Earth stop spinning if a few slices around the edge of the Phoenix Park were set aside for city housing? It didn’t when the 100-acre Phoenix Park Racecourse was hived off during the last property boom.
McCarthy’s 20-year-old idea for St Anne’s seems revolutionary when you consider the situation there now. A proposal by developer Pat Crean to build 650 units in fields beside – not in – the park fell foul of a court action a year ago by local residents, who feared their walking amenity would be overlooked.
As Keegan said two years ago, Dublin needs homes but existing homeowners will not support the measures needed to supply these homes.
Mark Paul
Of primary importance to Dutch planners was to ensure that any substantial new development was tied into the rail network. Photograph: Julie Picardi/Barcroft Media via Getty Images HIGH-DENSITY PLANNING The Hague, The Netherlands
The secret of successful high-density housing is not just imaginative urban planning based on sustainability. It’s about the integration of land use and transport design to make the most of the space you’ve got. And nobody does that better than the Dutch.
If ever you’ve travelled by train in the Netherlands chances are you’ve noticed that most of what you saw from your window was countryside, not urban sprawl.
That’s because, with a population of just over 17 million in a country roughly the size of Munster, space has always been at a premium. What’s known as its “green heart” is jealously guarded. Land is never wasted.
This convinced Dutch planners in the 1970s that it made no sense to adopt the seductive US model of urban life appearing on Europe’s television screens – featuring large automobiles, endless highways, and urban conurbations dotted with shopping malls linking one town to the next. The Dutch alternative was to plan new urban development and infrastructure where it made most sense.
Stakeholder agreement was crucial, of course. But in design terms, of primary importance was to ensure that any substantial new development was tied into the rail network. This had two effects. The first was that car use was confined largely to local journeys that couldn’t be done by bicycle.The bulk of daily journeys were by public transport.
In addition, housing and commercial property demand focused naturally on the transport “hubs” – the main stations or switching points between rail, tram and bus, for instance. The result was high-density housing, typically with a smaller “footprint”, led by consumer demand.
And because it became desirable to live within walking or cycling distance of your local station, urban sprawl led by car use was substantially reduced – as were CO2 emissions.
These concepts are not new to Ireland. They were part of A Platform for Change, the pioneering land use and transportation plan produced by Dublin Transportation Office, a forerunner of the National Transport Authority, under its now retired chief executive John Henry. That report fell victim to a dearth of technical understanding at political level, piecemeal implementation and lack of funding. What needed to be done then still needs to be done now.
Peter Cluskey
LONG-TERM RENTING Belgium
Belgium is famous for its bureaucracy and appalling customer service, but when it comes to housing it boasts a well-functioning, affordable and well-supplied rental market. If you want people in Ireland to consider renting longer term, three characteristics are absolutely essential.
First, you need to give people security of tenure and a feeling of long-term commitment. In Belgium this is achieved though standard three-year or nine-year leases. Deposits are generally three months’ rent and are paid into a blocked bank account of which both the tenants and owners are co-signers.
The deposit can be accessed only by agreement among all parties. Leases are automatically rolled over and it’s not unusual to spend 20 or 30 years in the same property. Properties here are generally unfurnished (we even had to buy our own fridge and dishwasher), which enables tenants to take a longer-term perspective on their living arrangements.
Second, pricing is absolutely key. Monthly rent must be cheaper than the equivalent mortgage payment. The discount reflects the fact that you are renting a property, not paying for ownership in incremental stages.
In the Belgian university city of Leuven, my monthly rent for a three-bedroom house is about 30 per cent cheaper than the equivalent mortgage payment. Tenants here don’t live in fear of huge increases in rent every year. Rents are inflation-linked, and salaries are also adjusted each year to take account of prevailing inflation rates.
Third, rented properties – particularly apartments – must be liveable for families. In Belgium, that generally means dual aspect, dedicated basement (and often attic) storage space and an overall footprint significantly in excess of Irish norms. Building cheaper, smaller apartments will do nothing to encourage families to embrace apartment living.
Linked to this is the importance of building apartments near city and town centres, local parks, playgrounds, schools and transport. Unfortunately, in Ireland we seem to excel at out-of-town apartment developments sadly marooned in an sea of road-based inaccessibility.
Eoin Drea
Eoin Drea is a senior researcher at the Martens Centre, Brussels
The 31 studio apartments built in Bristol as part of the Bristol Housing Festival’s LaunchPad initiative were constructed in just six months. CONTAINER LIVING Bristol, UK
In a rising rental market those who suffer most are always those on lowest incomes. In Bristol, three of these groups – students, key workers and young homeless people – have been brought together to live in LaunchPad, an initiative of the Bristol Housing Festival.
The 31 shipping container-style (but actually purpose-built) studio apartments were built in just six months in on a disused council car park, with the first residents moving in last September. The project cost in the region of £1.5-£1.7 million.
The students and key workers – largely working in the health and education sectors – pay an average of £120 a week, with the young people, who are largely moving on from supported homeless accommodation, paying a social housing rent. A typical student rent in Bristol is £650 a month while market rents are about £1,000 for a one-bedroom apartment.
The project is a collaboration of Bristol Students’ Union, youth homeless charity 1625 Independent People and housing association United Communities.
The student tenancies are for one year, while the other tenants have a two-year agreement but, United Communities operations director Dave Bull said, tenancies will be renewable for all groups.
“We will give the option to extend because if we have a settled community we want to keep that together.”
Each studio is en-suite and equipped with a small kitchen, but there is also a larger communal kitchen and living room, which Bull says is an integral element of the scheme.
“The idea is people will get involved in social events and offer peer support. It’s not mandatory but we try to encourage it, particularly for the younger people to gain experience and confidence. It’s already happening organically and I think a large part of that was because no one was ‘placed’ here, everyone living here applied and bought into the concept.”
Olivia Kelly
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