In response to the questions put by BERATE to the Bristol South MP and other Candidates for the General Election, the following responses were received.
We would like to thank Dawn Primarolo MP (DP Labour), Mark Wright (MW Liberal Democrats), Mark Lloyd Davies (MLD Conservatives) and Charlie Bolton (CB Green) all four for taking the time to respond to allow constituents to see their views about this contentious issue
Opening words:
Mark Wright submitted the following opening statement to his response:
I reply in response to your questions in the letter below. I must point out to start with that the following opinions are entirely my personal opinions and are put in my capacity as PPC for Bristol South. They are not the opinions of the Council or the Cabinet. I would also point out for legal purposes that I have not pre-judged any Cabinet decisions that may follow on matters relating to this, and am still open to persuasion on all the key arguments. The decision on the planning application is the responsibility of the DC committee who act impartially.
Answers to numbered questions:
1. Do you support or object to the proposals for a new superstore development at Ashton Gate Stadium, and on what grounds do you reach your view?
CB: I object. It isn’t needed. It will damage local trade. It is a traffic nightmare. It will cause local pollution. It is unsustainable. It is exactly the wrong way to go in terms of producing a sustainable economy, where much more focus needs to be given to local production for local needs and promoting (not destroying) local small business.
MLD: I am supportive of the ambitions of Bristol City Football Club, but strongly object to the automatic assumption that these plans can only be fulfilled if Tesco is shoehorned in as a new superstore at Ashton Gate Stadium.
MW: I am very worried about the knock on effects of a new superstore at Ashton Gate, in particular the detrimental effect it could have on the viability of nearby retail areas of North Street. There are still different possibilities for superstores on this site, and they could have quite different knock on effects to the local area. My personal opinion is that having competing brand superstores in the area would probably be more detrimental to the wider retail market than just one brand because of the increased likelihood of aggressive pricing strategies.
DP: I would prefer to see housing on the Ashton Gate site, or a sustainable mixed development.
2. Do you accept or reject the conclusions of the independent assessment of the retail need/impact undertaken on behalf of Bristol City Council about the failure to demonstrate need and likely impacts of the development on other parts of Bedminster?
DP: I do not believe that there is a shortage of supermarkets in the area. North Street is close to Sainsbury’s at Winterstoke Road and ASDA on Bedminster Parade. In addition, Aldi is on North Street itself, along with McColls and a Tesco Express.
MW: The independent assessment of the retail need/impact looks sound to me, and I accept it.
MLD: I accept the conclusions of the report. In terms of retail need there is already a vibrant trading North Street, two superstores (ASDA and Sainsburys), an ALDI, LIDL and two Tesco Expresses in the Bedminster and Southville area. I fail to understand why the local area needs a third superstore.
CB:Yes, I accept the conclusions
3. Do you accept or reject i. The submission by the applicant that the new superstore development is a legitimate “enabling” development for the new stadium proposal and ii. That a new superstore is the only viable development that can fund a new stadium and that no other alternatives are available?
MLD: In respect to both points I am not convinced that the only option for a new stadium is the selling of Ashton Gate Stadium to Tesco. Tesco, after all, are an effective commercial operator and are unlikely to be just giving money away. With the right political will and support, I am optimistic that alternative commercial routes are open to Bristol City Football Club (BCFC). However, I advise local residents and campaigners to also come forth with other viable ideas to support BCFC.
MW: i) This is really a question for planning lawyers to argue over, and I understand that they are indeed doing that. Using an enabling development in this way would certainly be a novel move. I am hoping that more legal advice on this subject will be coming in the very near future, because it is a critical issue.
ii) It appears to me that following funding alternatives are business decisions. Without seeing inside the accounts of BCFC there is no way for me to know the underlying situation.
DP: i.) This is a matter for the Development Control Committee.
ii.) Bristol City Football Club has made the judgement that selling the land for retail space will give them most value for their land. I am sure they would accept a better offer if it were made.
CB: I have seen no detailed information on the financing of the stadium, but it is obvious to me that there are alternative stadiums and alternative financing possibilities which would mean the anser has to be that there must be other ways of doing it
4. Given an option, what type of development would you like to see at Ashton Gate, taking into account that 20% of the site is owned as a public asset by BCC?
MW: The current Local Plan allocates this site for future housing provision and mixed-use development. Because of the housing shortage I am a strong supporter of new housing wherever possible, and my preference for this site would be likewise
DP: Social housing with affordable housing available to buy.
MLD: I would need to give this a lot of thought, but affordable housing with a community hall, educational library etc., are initial thoughts. However, commercial viability for Bristol City Football Club is also very important.
CB: The more I think about it, the more I think that it is vital to preserve the amount of green space in the city. If green space is lost to the stadium development, it should be replaced elsewhere. Ashton Gate would be one such possibility. In terms of climate change, the existence of green space is going to become hugely important in order to allow cities to adapt, both in terms of cooling the city, and in terms of a place to capture rain (there will be many more extreme weather events, such as flash flooding). I happen to think the proposed stadium is in a bad place, too, mind. I am also aware, of course, of Greville Smythe Park being nearby.
In practice, we don’t get to choose what goes there, only to support or oppose a particular planning application. I’d be happy for it to remain as a football ground, and would consider other options eg housing on their merits
5. Do you think that the level and quality of the pre-application consultation as described in the Statement of Community involvement was sufficient for a development of this scale?
DP: I understand that the distribution of pre application information was patchy, which is not acceptable. Vehicle entrance from Ashton Road emerged after the pre-application consultation. I find it difficult to believe that local people clamoured for an entrance for cars on a residential road next to a park.
MW: I don’t think anyone would argue with the suggestion that the deadlines imposed by the World Cup bid has meant that many procedures have been moved through faster than normal and faster than would have been liked. I would have liked to have seen a more comprehensive pre-application consultation for the Statement of Community Involvement (SCI). But having said that, in my planning experience I don’t think I have ever seen a pre-application SCI that was as extensive as desired, and this continues to be a considerable problem for the planning industry as a whole.
MLD: I think it could have been more extensive.
CB: I actually think SCIs will be used by developers to get what information suits them. They control the process, which will therefore be partial. I probably wouldn’t place too much weight on them myself.
Final words were submitted by:
MW: I would finally say that I fully support the principle of securing a regional football/sports stadium in Bristol, and I also support the goal of winning the World Cup bid and bringing the 2018 event to Bristol.
MLD: At a recent residents’ meeting in Southville I publicly made clear my opposition to the Tesco superstore as the automatic choice at Ashton Gate because we already have a vibrant North Street, Sainsbury, ASDA, Aldi and Lidl and two Tesco Express. I am supportive of the ambitions of Bristol City Football Club, but ask them to think again about shoehorning in a Tesco superstore. I am writing to the Council to make clear my objection and have already voiced my concern to the British Retail Consortium.
