Large swathes of land across north and north east Bristol look set to be made the subject of a Mayoral Development Zone, which could give metro mayor Helen Godwin powers to bypass local council authority to order the building of thousands of new homes.
The zone will instead be managed by a Mayoral Development Corporation – a public-private partnership involving both South Gloucestershire Council, the West of England Combined Authority, landowners and developers.
Local councillors in South Gloucestershire were told this week it was the best and quickest way to achieve the establishment of new towns, which will see the urban area of Bristol expand rapidly to the north east.
The new town at Brabazon – on the former Filton Airfield site – is already underway, with Government ministers welcoming the plans to build up to 6,000 new homes and the new Aviva Arena in the former Brabazon hangar building.
But new towns are also planned around Parkway station, and in something called the Western Innovation Arc, which will extend Emersons Green out far beyond the M4, and expand the Bristol & Bath Science Park.
Bristol Live revealed the plans for the Western Innovation Arc – to the north east of Bristol, it is also going by the name of the North Lyde Echo Tech Village – back in December last year, and to get the thousands of homes built in the three areas, South Gloucestershire Council chiefs told their cabinet this week that they may have to hand over powers to a new corporation to see it happen.
The cabinet noted the report – it was just an update – but it is understood to be the first time the prospect of a Mayoral Development Zone for the areas has been noted on the record.
North Lyde Eco Tech Village will extend the urban area of Bristol to the north of the M4 for the first time. It will be created on what is currently, in 2025, Green Belt land inside a triangle formed by the M4, Westerleigh Road and the railway line spur from Yate. Thousands of homes, an extension to the Bristol & Bath Science Park, a new school and areas of green spaces will be created.(Image: South Gloucestershire Council)
Metro mayor Helen Godwin welcomed the news, saying it would help get Government funding for the new homes and the new towns.
“Brabazon and the West Innovation Arc is the fastest-growing part of the country’s fastest-growing regional economy,” she said.
“We have so much to be proud of across the area, which has been shortlisted to become one of the government’s new towns – linking the Science Park, Bristol Parkway station, and Brabazon, with a new train station opening there later this year ahead of the Aviva Arena.
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“This part of the West of England has such exciting potential – with the right transport investment – to deliver 40,000 new homes and around the same number of new jobs in the long-term. We are determined to seize the full scale of the opportunity to help tackle the housing crisis and make life better for people across the West, with all options on the table,” she added.
Exactly how a Mayoral Development Corporation would be set up, and exactly what powers it would have to create a Mayoral Development Zone are yet to be fixed, but council officers told the South Gloucestershire Council cabinet that it was ‘the most appropriate form of delivery mechanism’.
An aerial view of the Aviva Arena in Bristol (artist’s impression) in location at Brabazon New Town(Image: YTL)
MDCs and MDZs have been controversial in other areas of the country – notably in the north east and in Manchester, where local residents and elected councillors say they are shut out of the planning process, and there have been questions raised about the scrutiny of how often tens of millions of pounds of taxpayers’ money is spent.
“The establishment of a Mayoral Development Corporation (MDC) is proposed as the most appropriate form of delivery mechanism,” the cabinet report said.
“However, there are many variations to a MDC and a range of other delivery mechanisms that could be used to support delivery, including using existing powers and regulatory processes at local and regional level.
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“Officers are actively considering these options to be able to advise on the most effective arrangements as the programme evolves. This consideration does not imply that existing local systems and process would not be effective, but reflects the scale, complexity and long-term nature of a new town, and the need to assess whether additional or enhanced mechanisms could be more appropriate,” they added.
“The combined authority are actively considering the establishment of a Mayoral Development Zone (MDZ) to cover the West Innovation Arc. A full report will be presented to the WECA committee in due course, outlining the zone which would provide a strong indication to Government of commitment to the West Innovation Arc ambition, and clear strategic leadership and coordination for large-scale change in this priority location, bringing added focus and capacity at a critical early stage,” the report added.
North Lyde Eco Tech Village will extend the urban area of Bristol to the north of the M4 for the first time. It will be created on what is currently, in 2025, Green Belt land inside a triangle formed by the M4, Westerleigh Road and the railway line spur from Yate. Thousands of homes, an extension to the Bristol & Bath Science Park, a new school and areas of green spaces will be created.(Image: Google Earth)
“The establishment of a MDZ would provide a practical framework to coordinate early work, build the case for investment and signal commitment to Government at a critical point in the decision-making process. It is nonetheless a step with implications, as an MDZ is often seen as a transitional arrangement that can evolve over time towards more formal delivery mechanisms,” the report added.