Deadline for objections to town green bid to stop Bristol City's new stadium
People opposed to the site of Bristol City's proposed new stadium being awarded town green status have until February 1 to submit an objection to the city council.
Residents in Ashton Vale have applied for town green status to protect the site from being developed. If their application succeeds, then it could scupper plans for the 30,000-seat stadium.
Club chief executive Colin Sexstone has already described the move as a stalling tactic to try and stop the £100m stadium complex going ahead.
The landowners, rather than the club, will be opposing the bid for town green status.
Ian Cawley, spokesman for the landowners, Ashton Vale LLP and Vence LLP said their response was now being prepared.
Nearly 40 residents in Ashton Vale have signed up to the town green application, which covers 42 acres – the whole stadium scheme site except for the Moorelands former allotments where it is proposed to build 137 homes. In the application, the area is described as Ashton Vale Fields adjoining the North Somerset boundary between Ashton Drive cul-de-sac and the Long Aston park-and-ride site.
One of the residents, Linda Stone, 62, of Ashton Drive, said: "It's not about the stadium, it's about protecting this open space. We've enjoyed using it for so many years and we all feel strongly that it should be kept that way."
She said it was a wildlife haven for birds, foxes and deer and used by walkers and children who have nowhere else to play.
Town green status cannot be awarded unless it can be shown that the site has been in community use for at least 20 years – yet the proposed stadium sits on a former landfill site which is understood to have been in use until 1991.
The club hopes the issue can be dealt with in a time frame which does not hinder progress of the new stadium or the World Cup bid. The council says town green applications take about six months.
The process usually involves the council appointing an independent inspector to gather evidence and put forward a recommendation to the council's legal team.
They use this to formulate a recommendation to the council's Public Rights of Way and Greens Committee, which discusses the issue and makes a decision.
The move for town green status emerged the day after councillors gave their backing to Bristol City FC's plan to build its new home on a green-belt site near the Long Ashton park-and-ride site.
Councillors on the Development Control (South and East) committee decided four weeks ago to support the scheme. They did, however, refuse to support the building of 116 homes on the Southlands site, south of the proposed stadium.
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by Stan, Ashton
Saturday, December 05 2009, 10:55PM
“Give us a break, out of nowhere a development so vast that it will obscure everything for miles is proposed, just twenty feet from our homes, in an area which is truly open, green and full of wildlife. You may not want to know it, it may not fit in with your views but it's real. Open your curtain one day and have open views of the countryside and direct access to green fields to walk. Open your curtain a year later and be confrnted with a brick/glass wall 100 feet high. No more green fields, no wildlife, no peace just noise, pollution and helicopters, fighting, fish wrappers and you say we are unreasonable. Oh do shut up.”
by Martin, away from here
Friday, December 04 2009, 11:12PM
“M.Stone. Your point about Old trafford and St james park being expanded is totally different to the site of Ashton Gate being redeveloped. Look at the map of the two grounds and there is far more room than at Ashton Gate. Old Trafford is restricted on just 1 side by the railway line, the rest is pretty much concrete all the way round bar 1 industrial unit.
Look at Ashton Gate, you have the flats on the Dolman side of the ground. The business units to the Williams side. The houses behind the East End and the Atyeo. That would make planning permission a nightmare to start with due to the size the stands would have to be and residents not wanting it, look at the Atyeo that was halved in size from the original plans.
There isnt room on the current site to make the ground big enough or for the same cost of building a ground from scratch. If they were to do it realistically to have all the access and room around the stadium you would probably need to knock down one of the block of flats, purchse the houses and knock down. Possibly take some of the industrial part too. That alone would cost a lot to purchase all of them. Plus how many unhappy residents would that make. Probably a lot more than the 40 people making a last ditch effort to put the brakes on the project by recreationally using a former landfill site when as already pointed out far nicer green spaces to use in the area.”
by Rob, Crews Hole
Friday, December 04 2009, 10:05PM
“If it is proved that the landfill site was in use as a landfill site until 1991 then that area cannot be granted Town Green status.
However Plots 2 & 4 (where BCFC wanted to build houses and where the arena has now been suggested) have never been used as landfill and are designated as a Site of Nature Conservation Interest as well as being Green Belt. The law says that if an area has been used 'as of right' (i.e. without permission, force or secrecy) for recreation for 20 years then it can be registered as a Town Green and protected from development.
The application may well be for the whole area, but the inspector will decide whether all or part of it qualifies.”
by m.stone, ashton vale
Friday, December 04 2009, 5:54PM
“i can understand why people want this stadium built .but they also need to understand why it should not be built . ashton gate holds approx 21.000 all seating and like other clubs such as newcastle, chelsea, and even man united have all redevelopent there stadiums without the need to move and they all had about the same space to work with. So why should they be alowed to tear up green belt land for approx 10.000 saets . point 2 winterstoke rd carepark is owend by the council if they sell the site whare is the money going the council will lose alot more money i think this needs to be looked into more. point 3 the temple meads site is ready for a concert venue to be built so why do they want to move it to ashton vale is it so they can sell the idea of the stadium better . point 4 how are poeple going to get to there homes on mathday if ashton drive is closed all traffic will be sent along south liberty lane but with fans walking up ashton drive and then silbury road they would still not be able to get to there homes. The roads around ashton vale are just not big enough to cope with all the traffic so a number of roads around ashton bedminster , hotwells bishopsworth will be gridlock so lets please look at all the facts first before we do anything we at least owe that to all of us who will be effect by this stadium”
by Luke, Bristol
Friday, December 04 2009, 2:42PM
“I seriously wonder what planet these pathetic nimbys are actually on.
There are acres and acres of somerset countryside on their doorstep, as well as the Ashton Court estate... yet they claim their children have nowhere else to play, and that they want to have a picnic on a former landfill site???
Utter utter nonsense. The bottom line is that they simply dont want a new stadium on their doorstep.. which is understandable. But telling lies and trying to be manipulative is just going to make them look like fools.”