Bristol City stadium will be worth £13m a year . . . for 20 years

Bristol City Football Club has produced 260 million reasons why it should be allowed to build a new stadium at Ashton Vale.

The club commissioned a team of experts to find out what the new stadium would mean in terms of helping the local economy.

And the answer is £260 million during the next two decades – that's £13 million a year for 20 years.

But this is a minimum figure. It does not take into account other factors such as the redevelopment of Ashton Gate or the impact of the World Cup if it comes to Bristol.

Councillors will tonight decide whether to grant planning permission for the new stadium at Ashton Vale.

It will undoubtedly be one of the biggest planning decisions in the city for years.

If councillors decide to support the stadium plan, they can only be "minded to approve". The final decision rests with the Secretary of State because the site is on green belt land.

Club chief executive Colin Sexstone urged members of the Development Control (South and East) Committee to seize the opportunity to help regenerate the whole of south Bristol by giving their backing to the stadium plan.

He said: "Although the economic impact report is still only in draft form, it does confirm the development of a new regional stadium at Ashton Vale will undoubtedly have a dramatic and unprecedented impact on the economy.

"We have been working with Bristol City Council and the South West Regional Development Agency on this report, both of whom are keen to understand the sheer size and scale of the positive impact this development will have.

"In addition to the £90m investment in building the stadium, the development could create a domino effect which leads to nearly this much again being invested in the rest of the site, at Ashton Gate, and on Sainsbury's existing site on Winterstoke Road.

"The stadium will act as a much-needed catalyst for growth and regeneration in south Bristol – it will be a visible sign of progress in the council's and the RDA's plans to regenerate the area.

"The construction phase is likely to create more than 4,000 jobs.

"The stadium will bring £260m more into the local economy than would otherwise be the case.

"That's £13m a year for the next 20 years that will not come into the economy if this development does not happen.

"That's why the planning committee's decision is so important, not just for the football club, but for the whole city. We simply can't afford to let an opportunity like this slip through our fingers."

The draft report by Price Waterhouse Coopers also points to nearly 360 jobs being directly created on the site with potential salaries worth £10m.

The economic benefits will not just come from football.

They will also be derived from business generated by the stadium's conference and banqueting facilities and the spin-off effect on the hotel and tourism trade.

Other sporting and entertainment events at the stadium, including major concerts, would draw more visitors and investment into the area.

The local community stands to gain sporting facilities which would be worth several hundred thousand pounds.

There would be a new community gym and state-of- the-art centres for the club's Football in the Community and Study Centre initiatives.

Meeting rooms and other space in the new stadium would also be offered to the local community free of charge.

On top of this, there would be a "multiplier effect" that a new stadium would bring to the area.

Mr Sexstone said whether directly through employment, visitor spend, sponsorship and other commercial opportunities or major events, or indirectly through community pride and belief, the club, like other professional football, rugby and cricket clubs in Bristol, would continue to generate social, economic and community value.

Councillors meet at the Council House at 6pm today to discuss the stadium plan.

They were due to have met the following night – Thursday, November 5 – to discuss a Tesco plan to build a supermarket at Ashton Gate.

But this second meeting has been cancelled following the club's deal with Sainsbury's to move their existing store from its site off Winterstoke Road to the club's existing ground.

Friday was due to have been the deadline for Bristol to submit a bid to the Football Association to host World Cup games if the tournament comes to England in 2018.

This deadline has now been put back to November 26, allowing a period of breathing space following the council's planning decision.

Prospective host cities have been given extra time to sign general registration documents from FIFA, football's world governing body, which will save their respective bid teams having to make two trips to London.

The England 2018 team will announce the successful host cities on Wednesday, December 16.