Work on £200m Ashton Gate Sporting Quarter could start in weeks A legal challange against the bid failed Work to transform an area of South Bristol into the city’s biggest indoor sporting and cultural venue as part of a £200m project called the Ashton Gate Sporting Quarter could start within weeks - after a legal challenge mounted by a local firm failed at the first hurdle. A High Court judge dismissed the challenge by waste firm ETM, which wanted to stop Bristol City Council awarding planning permission for 510 new homes nearby, saying the firm’s lawyers had not submitted the legal papers properly and in time. The ruling, issued late on Monday by Justice Lavender in the High Court, means there is nothing now stopping Ashton Gate owner Steve Lansdown from starting the major project on two sites near the stadium. The city council gave planning permission a year ago to two applications by Mr Lansdown’s firm Esteban. The first was for 510 new homes in a development called Longmoor Village, on land between the Long Ashton park and ride and Ashton Vale, where around 15 years ago he originally wanted to build a relocated stadium. The homes plan is to partly-fund the second project - a 5,000-capacity sports arena & conference centre, hotel, flats, offices and a multi-storey car park, on land next to Ashton Gate stadium, at Winterstoke Road. Work should have begun on the ‘Sporting Quarter’ in the autumn of 2023, but a neighbouring firm, ETM, lodged a legal challenge. ETM asked for a judicial review on the council’s decision to grant permission for the 510 new homes at ‘Longmoor Village’ - which put both projects on hold. ETM claimed people moving into the new homes near their waste treatment centre would be able to complain about the noise generated by ETM’s operations, and that would threaten the viability of its business. The council said it wouldn’t, pointing out that the planners had done the noise tests and the nearest homes to ETM’s site were far enough away for it not to be an issue - as long as ETM stuck to its agreed legal noise levels. The council said it would robustly defended its position, but the legal challenge was enough to put both projects on hold for a year until the legal wrangle was sorted. But it turned out ETM had not properly submitted all its paperwork inside a six-week deadline after the moment the city council formally awarded planning permission. So the firm’s lawyers first had to ask the High Court for special dispensation to start their challenge after the deadline. Justice Lavender ruled that there were no special circumstances which would merit letting ETM have more time after the legal deadline, so threw out their case before it was even heard. After hearing a complex saga of issues and problems faced by the court in obtaining the legal papers from ETM’s lawyers, Justice Lavender said: “I have concluded that I should not extend the time for filing the claim form. In my judgment the factors which point in favour of the claimant's application are outweighed by those which point the other way.” This means ETM’s legal challenge against the council will not now be heard at all, and planning permission for the Longmoor Village homes is granted. That paves the way for Mr Lansdown’s Esteban company to sell the land to a developer, and for work to get underway on the Ashton Gate Sporting Quarter. The first outward sign of that is expected to be the demolition of a number of buildings between the stadium and Winterstoke Road, including the now-closed down Wickes DIY store, which is making way for a multi-storey car park and the arena and conference centre. That multi-purpose venue will be a new home for the Bristol Flyers, bringing the basketball club together under the Bristol Sport umbrella at the same site, alongside the Bristol City football and Bristol Bears rugby teams. https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/work-200m-ashton-gate-sporting-9559009
It’s a shame the dog walkers didn’t make a similar mistake, as much as I love our redeveloped Ashton Gate, it does limit us in terms of being able to grow our capacity. Had Ashton Vale gone ahead I’m sure we’d have a much better chance of bringing in new investors.
I think I recall reading that over the years, SL, and his consortium’s having been buying up the houses behind the Atyeo. Once he has them all, we can put in planning permission to redevelop that end.
wouldnt make sense to advertise the fact he was doing that. although as a private landlord it would be collecting rent and just doing the regular maintainence ..... could go on for 10 years or more before need to develop no point having a 42,000 seater if we are in DIV 1 or 2!
Even if we can redevelop the Atyeo it’s not going to take it from 26,500 to 42,000, even 32,000 would be a stretch
Think they can soon. As it was due to light pollution in their gardens. But I read that’s being done away with. However even if they do it never gets full now as it is. The only time it is, is when the Bears play Bath or possibly Gloucester. Plus Luton and Bournemouth both proved you don’t need big grounds.
I’m pretty sure the original design was for a two tier stand but they had to lower it due to light issues in relation to the houses behind. I’m not suggesting it would have been big enough to increase the capacity to anywhere near 42,000 though. I’d imagine more in the region of 30,000. As you say other clubs have shown it can be done with smaller stadiums, but it’s not ideal.
I may be wrong, but I think what he means is that With the space available the number of seats is limited, a two tier stand, would need to be deeper to accommodate another tier, to take the capacity from 26,000 now to 42,000 you would need more space. The Atyeo stand capacity is around 4,200, even if it was possible to build a two tier stand from scratch it wouldn’t add 16,000, to take the capacity to 42,000.
Plus the fact we would have no use for a 42000 capacity stadium We wouldn’t get more than about 30000 if we were in the Top division even if it could accommodate it
