The first tenants have moved into a newly-finished £1.7 million development in Bristol from black and minority ethnic housing provider Aashyana. The 16-apartment scheme, in Wilson Street, St Paul's, is the biggest yet from Aashyana, part of the William Sutton Group and the first Asian-led housing association in the South West. The homes have been built to satisfy the demand for accommodation for south Asian individuals and families, with both Aashyana and Bristol City Council housing people from their waiting lists in the development.

The exciting project has taken four years to come to fruition and boasts four one-bed flats on the ground floor with a further 12 spacious, two-bed apartments on the higher three storeys. Once the work was finished in early September, the developers handed ownership to William Sutton. Aashyana then took on the management and ownership of the scheme.

Its first eager tenants moved in a few days later. Three-quarters of those moving in will come from Bristol City Council recommendations. These might have been people living in bed and breakfast accommodation or with no home. The remaining nominations are coming direct from Aashyana's waiting list. Among them was Royal Mail worker Mustaf Hussan, 31, who moved in to one of the two-bed apartments with a friend. "We moved in as soon as we could," he said. "The apartment is fantastic and we were really happy to get it as we had been waiting to get a place. It is really modern and great for this area of the city where there is a lot of need for good housing."

Mustaf was a nomination from Bristol City Council's waiting list. He had previously been homeless. The bulk of the cost of the scheme was met by the Housing Corporation, with William Sutton Group and Bristol City Council also contributing.

"We have come a long way since negotiations first began to buy the site," said Marcus Knights, Development Officer for Aashyana. "It is a new-build on a derelict site but there were three owners of the land so it has been a complicated process but we are delighted how things have turned out. The project has been an exciting one and the quality of the homes we now have to offer people in this development is exceptional."

Aashyana was founded 12 years ago and this is the biggest development that William Sutton has undertaken on its behalf. Saeed Anwar, Chief Executive of Aashyana, added: "This has been our largest project to date, with 16 units, and we are very pleased to be welcoming our first tenants after a lot of hard work.

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