Tax payer’s fund bid against Bristol City Football Club’s new stadium

 

By Ian Onions, Political Editor / i.onions@bepp.co.uk

A legal challenge over the future of Ashton Vale, where a 30,000- seat stadium is planned, is being bankrolled by taxpayers, the Evening Post can reveal.

Long Ashton parish councillors have agreed to make up to £20,000 of council funds available towards the legal costs of a judicial review of the handling of a bid for the site to be given town green status.

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“Why we want to stop Bristol City Football Club’s new stadium” – campaigners

 

The future of Ashton Vale, where a 30,000-seat stadium is planned, will now be decided in court. Political Editor
Ian Onions (i.onions@bepp.co.uk) talked to the former councillor who is leading the challenge.

Nearly a year ago to the day, an independent inspector rocked council leaders and Bristol City football club by recommending that Ashton Vale should be registered as a town green, effectively ruling out plans for a new £92-million stadium. But Alderman Peter Crispin was not surprised.

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Challenge to Ashton Vale town green decision to become formal

 

By Ian Onions, Political Editor / i.onions@bepp.co.uk

Court papers were expected to be served on Bristol City Council today in the latest twist on the future of Ashton Vale, where a 30,000-seat stadium is planned.

The move means the council’s “split site” town green decision in June will now be subject to a legal challenge.

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Judicial review application in Bristol City Football Club stadium row

 

 

Ian Onions, Political Editor / i.onions@bepp.co.uk

 

Bristol City Football Club have suffered another blow in their hopes for a new 30,000-seat stadium at Ashton Vale – the future of the site is now expected to be settled in court, which could take weeks if not months to resolve.

The Evening Post can exclusively reveal that an application for a judicial review over Bristol City Council’s “split site” town green decision is expected to be made in the next few days.

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D-Day set for Ashton Vale stadium row

By Ian Onions, Political Editor

A DECISION which will clear the way for land at Ashton Vale to become the site of Bristol City‘s proposed new stadium or lead to a ban on all development there looks set to be taken within weeks.

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Lib Dems retain control of council after making concessions to opposition

By Sam Rkaina, Local Government Reporter

THE Liberal Democrats have retained control of Bristol City Council after making a series of concessions to opposition parties.

A vote yesterday confirmed that the current ruling group will continue as a minority administration, despite losing overall control of the authority at the May 5 elections.

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Lib Dem concessions on parks and stadium confirmed by Bristol leader

Bristol City Council leader Barbara Janke says a decision will be made within a month on whether or not to grant town green status for the site of Bristol City‘s proposed new 30,000-seater stadium at Ashton Vale.

In a prepared statement to be read at this afternoon’s full council meeting, she also says that the Liberal Democrats will halt the controversial green spaces sell-off plan while a review is carried out.

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Concessions expected to keep Bristol Lib Dems in power

By Sam Rkaina, Local Government Reporter

THE future control of Bristol City Council is to be decided today, after nearly two weeks of political negotiations.

Barbara Janke is expected to continue as leader of the authority with the Liberal Democrats running a minority administration.

A rethink on trams, a review of the green-spaces sell off plan and a decisive debate on whether Ashton Vale should be a town green are believed to be among the main concessions that will allow them to remain in power.

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Time for a decision on the Ashton Vale stadium row

Click here to see the original story on the EP website

By Ian Onions, Political Editor

CITY council leader Barbara Janke says she wants to see a resolution over the future of the Ashton Vale stadium site “as quickly as possible”.

The Liberal Democrat answered calls for the council to get on and make a decision on the controversial site by saying a date would soon be set for a meeting to decide its final position.

The council has the final say on an inspector’s recommendation that the site of the planned £92 million stadium should be registered as a town green, protecting it from all future development.

Green councillor Tess Green has echoed the views of out-going club chairman Steve Lansdown and leading campaigner Linda

Southville Cllr Tess Green- "everyone is fed up with this"

Stone that the council should move swiftly on and make a decision.

The Evening Post revealed yesterday that the Tories urgently want a debate on the issue to force a decision, as one of their conditions for supporting a minority Lib Dem administration in the wake of last week’s council elections.

Ms Green, who represents Southville ward, has written to the council asking for an early decision.

She said: “Everyone is fed up with this. The council should get on with it and decide whether they are going to accept or reject the application for a town green.”

Council leader Barbara Janke wants a resolution "as quickly as possible"

Last night Mrs Janke issued a statement saying that she agreed the time for action had arrived.

She said: “I am keen that we press ahead as soon as possible and a date should be set shortly for a meeting of the Public Rights of Way and Greens committee.

“I am consulting with the other party leaders so that we can move ahead with this as quickly as possible.”

Mediation talks between the landowners and Ashton Vale residents pushing for town green status broke down nearly two weeks ago after both sides failed to resolve the issue.

Now that the talks have failed, it lies with the council to make a decision on registration.

One of the options would be to hold a second inquiry in the light of additional evidence that was submitted by the club after an independent inspector recommended that the entire site should be registered.

Another option would be to ask the seven-member Public Rights of Way committee to make a decision.

One of the possibilities would be for councillors to register some parts of the site as a town green but leave the 19 acres of former landfill tip which has been earmarked as the stadium site.

Whatever decision was taken by the council, the losing side is bound to take the issue to court.

Mr Lansdown has already said the football club will go to appeal if town green status is approved.

Last week, Mrs Stone, one of the two residents who signed the application for the 42-acre site to be registered as a town green, said that she wished the council would hurry up and do its job by making a decision and put an end to the uncertainty.

After the talks broke down, signs were erected on the site to point out that the land is private except for public footpaths which are marked on a map and permitted routes which are only allowed with the consent of the owners.

This has prompted Councillor Green to fear that work could start on the site before the town green issue was resolved.

She said: “Any such move by the landowners would increase the risk of violent confrontation in an already tense stand-off between the two sides.”

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Bristol Tories demand city council decision on Ashton Vale row

Click here for the original story on the EP website

By Sam Rkaina, Local Government Reporter

BRISTOL City Council could be forced to finally make a decision on whether Ashton Vale should be a town green or not, now that the Liberal Democrats have lost control of the authority.

The Conservatives say one of their “conditions” of supporting the Lib Dems as a minority administration is a decisive debate on the issue by the end of the month.

Tory deputy leader Peter Abraham says the matter should be dealt with in a vote by full council one way or another, within 14 days of the next full council meeting on Tuesday.

The Lib Dems have been reaching out to the other parties on the council since they lost five seats at the local elections on Thursday.

The losses mean the party no longer has the numbers to force through policies and must rely on the support of other groups.

No party has expressed an interest in forming a government-style coalition but it is believed the Lib Dems could continue with a minority provided they make concessions on certain issues.

Mr Abraham – who is expected to replace mayor-elect Geoff Gollop as Tory leader on Friday – believes the ongoing uncertainty on the future of the site has done Bristol no favours.

He said: “We’ve mucked about and it’s dragging on. We ought to take the decision now. A report should be brought for decision whether to accept or reject the independent inspector’s advice.

“We’ve wasted months and months, with arbitration and talks breaking down.

“Sainsbury’s is ready, the deal is there waiting but we as a council are not shown to be facing up to these issues.

“My personal view is that I am convinced we should reject the inspector’s advice.

“I don’t think this qualifies as a town green and it brings the process into disrepute.”

New Labour leader Peter Hammond also agreed a decision needed to be made.

He said: “Labour policy is to support a stadium in south Bristol. The Lib Dems need to demonstrate leadership and council needs to make an early decision with a clear cabinet recommendation to approve the stadium or not.”

Council leader Barbara Janke stressed no decisions could yet be made while talks are ongoing.

She said: “As you would expect, we are talking to the other parties and listening to what they have to say about the issues that are important to them. Until this process is completed, we are not, of course, able to say what the outcome will be.”

The row over whether Ashton Vale should become a town green has stalled for months. On one side Bristol City Football Club needs the site to build its £92 million new stadium.

On the other side, residents near the site say they want to protect the site from any kind of development.

Mr Abraham said if the council had to make changes to take the decision out of that committee’s hands, it should do so.

Whatever decision the council does take, it is likely to face a legal challenge by the losing side.

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