New stadium at Ashton Gate Sporting Quarter and 500 homes at Longmoor approved by Bristol Council
Multi-million pound plans to transform Ashton Gate have been given the green light this evening (5 October).
The proposals, which were approved by Bristol City Council, will see a 3,600-seater Sports and Convention Centre (SCC) built next door to the current stadium, as well as five hundred new homes nearby.
The development was recommended for approval with planners saying it would provide affordable homes on Longmoor - a former landfill site west of the stadium.
The new sports arena will be the new home venue for the city's basketball team, Bristol Flyers.
It means the team will play next to the Bristol City and Bristol Bears' stadium in BS3. The plans also include a multi-storey car park, hotel and gym.
The Sporting Quarter plans were first unveiled back in 2018, but have gone through a couple of consultations with local residents. They had also been scaled back before a formal planning application was submitted.
Business and tourism bosses wrote to the council urging them to approve the plans.
Visit West wrote: "We have been following the development of the Ashton Gate Sporting Quarter closely as it will act as a catalyst for increasing the value of the visitor economy of the city, especially in the south of the city, providing new facilities that are desperately needed for both leisure and business visitors.
"The proposed facilities will support the elevation of Bristol to a tier one business events destination.
"For too long Bristol has lost out to other cities like Cardiff and Birmingham due to a lack of larger conferencing and events facilities with onsite hotels."
Andreas Kapoulas, Head Coach for the Bristol Flyers, said: "The proposed venue will rank Bristol third largest amongst the other British Basketball League venues and ensure our ability to achieve long term financial sustainability.
"Having our own home venue will mean we can compete at the highest possible level, attracting larger crowds and growing the sport.
"It will have a positive impact on the city too as we will be able to host major finals and European games - none of which are possible from our current home."
Marvin Rees, Mayor of Bristol, previously said: "The plans have my full support. Worth in the region of around £200m the proposals include more community facilities, greater pedestrianisation, and hundreds of new homes, whilst retaining green space and aiming for a biodiversity net gain.
"This investment meets a need that's been identified and talked about for some time, and will further strengthen Bristol's role as the cultural, sporting, and economic centre of our region."