Just when it seemed that Bristal City’s new stadium plans had gotten hopelessly stuck, hope is glimmering again as a claimant behind a legal challenge withdrew from the case.
First plans for a new Bristol City were presented in 2007, and a planning permission was granted in 2010. However, as the stadium is planned in a green belt on the southern edge of the city of Bristol, protesters who wanted to see the site turned into a town green (legally protected green land) challenged the decision.
An independent inquiry ruled in their favour, after which the Bristol City council decided to turn half of the land into a town green, leaving the rest to be used for the stadium. This decision was again challenged, with the claimant demanding a judicial review, but while the review was still in process, the claimant has now decided to withdraw from the case.
Bristol City has welcomed the decision, and, assuming the immediate termination of the judicial review, announced to take a fresh look at the stadium plans. Lawyers acting for the protesters however said that the notice was invalid and want a substitute to replace the original claimant.
A High Court judge will now have to take the final decision on whether the review should continue, which is expected to take at least a month.
Bristol City’s new stadium, which was a selected playing venue in England’s failed 2018 World Cup bid, is planned to have a capacity of 30,000, with an expansion option to over 40,000 places. Due to an ongoing series of legal problems, the progress on the £92 million project has considerably slown down, and the club is currently not working with any fixed timeline.
Stadium render: © Bcfc.co.uk