Architect’s proposed stadium site could be declared a town green

Populous’s £92 million plans for Bristol FC’s new stadium at Ashton Vale have been hit by yet another delay.

After two judicial reviews and one planning inquiry, which centred on whether the proposed site should be designated a town green, Bristol council announced it will refer the case back to the original inspector.

Ross Crail previously recommended that the whole of the 20ha site, once used for landfill, should be designated a town green, but the council only registered the southern half.

After protestors launched a legal challenge the council backed down.

Now the council is to ask Crail to review the case and to suggest the most appropriate process for taking things forward. She is expected to do this by the end of August.

The final decision on whether to register the whole site as a town green will be made by the council’s Public Rights of Way and Greens Committee, based on her recommendation. 

No work can begin on the stadium, which won planning in 2009, before the status of the land is confirmed.