The old Filton Airfield and land to the east has been earmarked by the government as a ‘new town’
An aerial view of the Aviva Arena in Bristol (artist’s impression) in location at Brabazon New Town(Image: YTL)
The new town along the Bristol North Fringe must be a “new start on 50 years of neglect” of transport problems according to a leading councillor.
Thousands of homes are planned in the area with details of a major regeneration project expected this summer, with huge changes coming soon.
Recently the government decided to designate Brabazon and the West Innovation Arc as one of seven new towns across the country.
This stretches from the old Filton Airfield, where thousands of homes and an indoor arena are being built, down the ring road to the Bristol and Bath Science Park. The name Brabazon refers to the planes once built in hangars at the airfield.
Land around the University of the West of England and the Ministry of Defence is also included too. The area already includes a large proportion of the region’s high-value employment. Leading councillors at South Gloucestershire Council said the designation should bring an end to the area’s terrible congestion, during a cabinet meeting on Monday, May 11.
Liberal Democrat Councillor Chris Willmore, cabinet member for planning, regeneration and infrastructure, said: “If you’ve ever been in the North Fringe in rush hour, you don’t need to be told it’s a traffic challenge. That’s the polite use of the word ‘challenge’.
“That’s because generations of new housing and economic growth have taken place without investing properly in infrastructure. And that has to stop now. It has to be a completely new start, in which we turn the tide on 50 years of neglect of the traffic and transport issues in the North Fringe.”
In theory building thousands of new homes next to large employment centres could lead to more people walking, cycling or getting public transport to work, rather than relying on the car for the daily commute. This could ease congestion, pollution and the region’s contribution to climate change. And investment in public transport is already paying off, with buses and trains.
She added: “We’ve been getting buses back. Compared to when we were elected in 2023, we’ve got more buses going to more places, and we’re going to keep pushing. We’re getting train stations reopened: one new one at Brabazon, and two old ones getting reopened.
“We’ve been investing in safer walking, cycling and wheeling, because every person who has the choice of being able to do that, and chooses to cycle rather than driving, is one more car off the road and less congestion. But at the end of the day we need a radical solution, something much more than the sum of those parts, if we’re actually going to solve the problem.”
The new town initiative could offer a solution, with extra funding and powers to construct buildings and infrastructure more quickly. As well as resolving transport problems, council leaders hope the designation of a new town will create better paid jobs, “end the HMO nightmare” by building more student flats, and lead to much more affordable housing too.
Behind the new town idea is the government wishing to identify locations where lots of housing can be built quickly, with infrastructure in place from the get go. Some new housing estates in South Gloucestershire have previously suffered with a shortage of schools and transport links. But to achieve this, a mayoral development corporation would be created with new powers.
This would be led by the Labour mayor of the West of England, Helen Godwin. Although she was elected by voters, the corporation would still be less democratically accountable than the normal system of councillors on planning committees voting whether to permit contentious developments. On the other hand this could speed up an otherwise lengthy, arduous process.
Conservative Cllr Liz Brennan said: “What we’re concerned about is the retention of democratic control over planning decisions, if the powers are transferred to the mayoral development corporation. This is concerning and it wasn’t brought to the [policy advisory group] which is a shame.”
She asked how the current congested road network can support the planned economic growth. She also called for local residents to be properly consulted about how the area is going to change, citing common concerns about a lack of investment in schools and GP surgeries.
Cllr Willmore added: “We’re arguing pretty strongly for democratic, local control, so that local people have as much say as possible in their own future. It’s not easy in the current planning context, in any part of South Gloucestershire, but it’s top of our agenda to try and give local people as much control as possible.”
Details of the new towns programme are still being ironed out. A public consultation run by the government ends this month, and more information will be announced later this summer about how the scheme will work. Early indications suggest the designation could include investing in rail and sustainable travel, although this should become clearer after the announcement.
Congestion is holding back the economy from growing and residents from accessing major employment areas. Journey times are often slow and unreliable, and the Bristol and Bath Science Park, for example, is hard to access, constraining its integration with nearby neighbourhoods. Walking and cycling routes are also disconnected from a coherent network.
Transport planners are exploring “enhanced rail accessibility at Brabazon, stronger connections to Parkway Station, and the potential for a fast, reliable and high-capacity east-west and orbital public transport corridor broadly aligned with the A4174, supported by wider bus and active travel improvements”, a cabinet report said. But details of the orbital corridor are not yet clear.