Bristol Rovers’ ambitious plans for a new stadium at UWE have been approved by South Gloucestershire planners.
The club hopes to be playing at the 21,700 capacity ground by the start of 2014/15 season. The new stadium will be partly paid for by the sale of the club’s Memorial Stadium at Horfield to Sainsbury’s under a plan yet to be approved by Bristol City Council.
The UWE stadium was given the go ahead by South Gloucestershire on a vote of 12:1 and with a number of certain conditions, including local transport improvements and a ban on on-street car parking.
The plans also include a club shop, bar, gym, offices, and a 1,000 space car park.
South Gloucestershire Council received more than 1,100 letters supporting the proposal and about 150 objecting to the development.
Rovers chairman Nick Higgs said it was now crucial that planning consent is given for the supermarket.
“We are obviously delighted with this decision but it’s only half-time in this cup final,” he said.
Speaking about the UWE Stadium approval, he said: “This application is a unique partnership between professional sport and education in South Gloucestershire and will bring national recognition to the region, being the first of its kind in the UK.
“It is essential for the club to develop a new stadium to ensure its sustainable future. It is therefore imperative to the future of professional sport in the region that the club develops a new stadium with international standard facilities for football and rugby, to encourage success and a sustainable future.”
Some 154 letters of objection and 1,126 of support were received.
UWE vice-chancellor Steve West added: “At a time when belts are tightening it is good to see this ambition being realised with the investment and growth flowing into the region. The UWE Stadium we hope will also allow the university to reach out to young people and our diverse communities across the region.”
Developers have pledged to spend £140,000 on new traffic measures and resident parking zones, while other conditions include the installation of CCTV in the area and a pledge that hedgehogs on the site should be safeguarded.
Welcoming the decision, chair of the council’s Development Control (West) Committee Cllr Dave Hockey said: “This stadium has been a long time in development and will be a very welcome addition to South Gloucestershire’s cultural and sporting amenities.
“The council has worked closely with the applicants to ensure that the stadium benefits the local community and includes necessary transport and parking arrangements.
“The stadium is also set to become a major employer in the area, as well as generating many new construction jobs in the short term. Committee members were pleased that local residents took the time to comment on this planning application. The consent is subject to 40 conditions which recognise the importance of the issues raised. I anticipate that the commitment to set up a Monitoring Group including local residents will help to deal with their anxieties.”
Jeremy Richards, of property agents Jones Lang LaSalle’s Bristol office, said: “A city’s sporting performance is certainly a factor in its international success – and what better way to showcase its sporting prowess than with a world-class venue. Building a new stadium doesn’t of course guarantee economic success but the resulting awareness does stand an area in good stead.
“Indeed, a quarter of Bristol’s business leaders earlier this year suggested that what was needed to take the city to the next level was a world-class sports stadium.”
