Stations are seldom served by trains and a new motorway junction was left unconnected
The Port of Bristol(Image: West of England Combined Authority )
An area on the outskirts of Bristol has been ‘cut off and left behind’ from an upcoming major regeneration plan.
Severnside runs from Severn Beach along the coast of the estuary down to Avonmouth and Portbury, with lots of jobs but little infrastructure and poor transport links.
South Gloucestershire Council is gearing up work with the West of England Combined Authority to deliver a ‘new town’ at Brabazon and the West Innovation Arc. The new town will stretch along the North Fringe of Bristol, from the old Filton Airfield where thousands of homes and an arena are being built, along the ring road down to the Bristol and Bath Science Park.
The government recently decided to designate the area as one of seven new towns, which comes with extra powers to bypass normal planning rules, which in theory will get new buildings and infrastructure constructed much more quickly. But council bosses were implored to stretch the benefits of the new town further west, during a cabinet meeting on Monday, May 11.
Alderman Peter Tyzack, on behalf of Pilning and Severn Beach Parish Council, said: “Initially it seems clear to us that there will be, or could be, spin-off benefits for our area of Severnside. While we know that Severnside is going to be part of WECA’s Severn Growth Zone, any masterplanning of that area is going to be significantly more torturous than what’s needed here.
“Portbury, Avonmouth and Severnside involve three councils, instead of just one. We would urge you to have a thought about how progress and growth in the Innovation Arc can also be a vehicle for aiding the growth of Severnside. Why should we be left behind? It really should be more than what appears to be just a passing thought.”
Brabazon and the West Innovation Arc(Image: WECA)
Severnside is home to high-tech work developing district heating networks, carbon capture, alternative vehicle fuels, aerospace and plasma research. But the area is marred with poor bottlenecks on roads and narrow country lanes used as rat runs. Railway stations are seldom served by trains and a new motorway junction was left unconnected from adjoining roads.
Many people across Bristol and from further afield travel to the area for work, contributing to the city’s terrible congestion. Some companies, like Amazon, have resorted to running their own buses for staff to travel to their jobs more easily.
According to the alderman, there are 10 job vacancies for every resident. Driving to Severn Beach is quicker from Newport than Kingswood.
He added: “The days of workers walking to the mill from the adjacent rows of terraced houses are long gone. People today will insist on doing the daily commute and some of your new residents will doubtless work on Severnside and add to the traffic load through the villages.
“We will need a new road from the A4018 to the new M49 junction. We will need the opening up of the train station at Chittening with a loop line to connect to Severn Beach. And we should not forget the growth potential for Pilning station to connect directly to Parkway and Abbey Wood.”
The growth zones in the West of England(Image: West of England Combined Authority )
Logistics forms a large part of the area’s character, with large warehouses taking up a lot of space and providing many jobs, as well as the port bringing in shipping containers. But in the future Severnside could diversify with a wider range of companies setting up shop there. And at the West of England Combined Authority, the area is now moving up to the top of the agenda.
Liberal Democrat Councillor Chris Willmore, cabinet member for planning, regeneration and infrastructure, said: “Severnside is an amazing opportunity but it was being missed in a lot of places. It wasn’t on the WECA agenda for a long time. Part of that was getting away from a perception of it as being somewhere simply for regional distribution centres.
“So this council pushed really hard to get it recognised. There was a masterplan, but it was on a piece of paper; it wasn’t being actioned. We’ve been pushing to get it the same sort of attention as Brabazon. I’ve got a meeting on Thursday of a WECA advisory board, and the first big thing on the agenda is Severnside.”
One obstacle however is the area stretches over three council areas: Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire. This means that including the combined authority, four different local government organisations will be thrashing out how to develop plans to improve infrastructure, each with its own priorities and political personalities — which has previously scuppered ambitious plans.
Cllr Willmore added: “We don’t have the same scope as we have in other places because of that, so we’ve got some manoeuvring to do. Money and action is not flowing yet, but it feels as though it’s on a journey towards it.”