Yet Another Planning Application in Jan 2008

We had heard in December that Rovers were intending to make further changes to their planned stadium. We also understood that these changes were significant enough that they would require an additional planning application. We also understand that they were not permitted to make this new application until the S106 agreement on the plan given approval this time last year had been signed.

All this now seems to be true. It is hardly coincidence that the day after the S106 was signed (almost six months later than planned), a new application was made. The description on the Bristol City Council website is as follows:

Amendments to regeneration of existing stadium to provide a new 18,000 seated (18,500 Capacity) stadium and ancillary accommodation, hotel (84 rooms), 99 student flats (546 rooms), restaurant, convenience store, offices, associated car, coach and cycle parking, landscaping and associated works.

Documents became available for viewing on the Bristol City web site yesterday

click here for the application page

click here for the actual documents for downloading

It would seem that the stadium site has more bedrock than was initially expected and this has meant that the excavations needed for the original plan would be too costly. They have therefore had to increase the height of the stadium especially around the north west corner and the hotel tower where an extra story has been added.

They have also juggled some of the use of space. The conference centre has been removed completely, presumably because this was one of the things that was not going to be sold off up front and as such losing it does not lower their initial build budget. The number of student flats has been reduced from 105 to 99, but does not seem to have reduced the actual number of students which is still around the 550 mark.

Action from you

Currently this application is not going to go before the development control committee and is just going to be looked at by planning officers and then probably passed without much problem, UNLESS we make a fuss about it.

There are currently no notices in place in the streets around the stadium but the deadline for comments is set as the 31 Jan 2008 and the determination date is 4 April 2008. The fact that notices have not been placed in the area and as yet no one we know of has received a letter of notification it is unreasonable for them to set a deadline for consultation at the end of this month.

We are making requests to members of the Development Control Committee and to the planning officers that this application is sent before the Development Control Committee so that it can be properly and publicly debated.

Remember that planning officers and councillors are here to help and are not the enemy, so it is vitally important that any correspondence is polite and respectful. However, it is also important for you to express as clearly as you can how angry you are about these proposals and as explicit as you can be about how this will affect you.

Please contact Councillors on the Development Control North Committee and convey the following message:

Dear Councillor

I have heard that Bristol Rovers Football Club has made yet another planning application (08/00061/F) which entails significant revisions of the existing proposals. I understand that, as a councillor serving on the DCC North committee and a local member, you have the power to request that this application should be heard by that committee. This application appears to fall within the category of exceptions to the Delegation Scheme for Planning Applications. As the application relates to extensive and fundamental alterations from the original application, which was itself a major and controversial application, it is essential that the application goes before the committee.

David Kitson is both a member of the committee and a councillor for the Bishopston Ward and voted against the plans last year.

Of the other councillors on this committee Charles Price voted in favour of the plans last year, Albert Murphy voted against, Abdul Malik was on the committee but did not attend the meeting due to family commitments. All of the other members of the committee are new since the vote last year.

It would also be good for the planning department to know that you are concerned. The application says that the consultation period ends on 31 Jan 2008 but we have been assured that it will actually end 21 days from the date that the planning department sends out notifications, which has not yet happened.

Please check this site regularly as we will post any additional information we have here as soon as we can.