Bristol architect's views on Tesco stadium plan

Bristol's most well-known architect George Ferguson is cautiously backing the idea of a supermarket at Ashton Gate – but only with very strict conditions.

The city's former High Sheriff said: "If we're just going to end up with a big shed and whopping car park, then the answer is 'No'.

"But if Tesco are prepared to do something really special, an exemplar scheme which is carbon-zero rated, which has mixed use and which puts Tesco at the heart of a community, then I think you could end up with a much better, more profitable scheme."

Mr Ferguson, the man responsible for the Tobacco Factory in North Street, said he was keen to see the football club prosper and understood the importance of a new stadium.

But he admitted that he was "no lover of Tesco" because in his view it had, on occasions, behaved in an "inexcusable manner".

He said: "This could be a fantastic opportunity for Tesco to show they are prepared to do something really special. But my support is very, very conditional."

Mr Ferguson, 62, who always wears red trousers and was president of RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects) from 2003-05, writes a weekly column in the Post.

Planning expert Mike Orr said a few days ago that plans for a supermarket at Ashton Gate were "very winnable on planning grounds".

The club wants to see a new store at the site of the ground to help fund a new stadium.

But the Post understands that some council officers and politicians are against the idea of another supermarket in the area because of the impact on local shops.

Club chairman Steve Lansdown said the redevelopment of Ashton Gate was crucial to funding a new stadium.

Tesco says the £80m stadium plans were a "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Bristol and the South West" which would create 1,000 jobs.

It was originally expected that the City ground would be sold off for housing but the recession means such a scheme would not generate enough to help fund a new stadium.

A new stadium would raise the prospect of World Cup games in the city if the Football Association wins its bid to host the tournament in 2018.

One of the major objectors to a new store is likely to be Sainsbury's which has a supermarket in nearby Winterstoke Road. The chain was initially refused permission to use the former UBM site but won the day after a public inquiry.