Decision time for Bristol's ageing athletics track

Cabinet councillors will tonight decide whether or not to push ahead with plans to replace the city's ageing athletics track at Whitchurch.

The decision to build a new track at a different site was taken six years ago and in 2008 planners gave consent for a 400-metre running track at Packers Field in Whitehall, despite opposition from some residents.

The council planned to use money from the sale of land at Hengrove Park to finance the project but that stalled because of the recession. It will have to borrow £1.17 million if the six-lane track at Whitehall and enhanced facilities at Filton are to go ahead.

Filton College already has a six-lane track at its WISE campus with a 300-space car park and the planned enhancements will add an extra two lanes, floodlighting and areas needed for athletics competitions.

This would cost £500,000 on top of the £1 million for the new track at Packers Field that would be run by the City Academy, which specialises in sport.

Tonight the cabinet will decide whether to go ahead with both projects, just the Packers Field track or just the Filton College site enhancements.

If members decide to go for the Filton option only it would mean there would be no athletics track within the city's boundaries.

The seven-acre Packers Field – named after the Packers chocolate factory which once owned it – was sold to the local authority during the Depression. For the next 70 years, it was used by the community.

When St George Community School became the City Academy five years ago, the city council leased Packers Field to the academy for a peppercorn rent. Initial plans for a stadium with a spectator stand were dropped but in 2004 permission was granted for development of the sports fields.