News / Politics
Cribbs expansion will damage Bristol – mayor
Mayor George Ferguson has warned that the massive expansion of Cribbs Causeway will damage retail in Bristol and Bath, pulling trade and shops out to South Gloucestershire.
The mayor has submitted a formal objection to the plans which are expected to be approved on Thursday, criticising the “poorly planned development”.
The plans include an extra 35,350 square metres of space for shops – more than half the size of the current shopping centre again – up to 8,980 square metres for more restaurants and cafes, a 120-bed hotel, 150 apartments, a new bus station, a new multi-storey car park and new roads and cycle ways, with a foot and cycle bridge over Merlin Road.
The expansion will come as the Filton Airfield development gets underway, which is expected to deliver 5,000 new homes with new schools and doctors surgeries in a project dubbed “Filton Keynes”.
Ferguson warned the new mall expansion could damage Bristol, pointing to a report saying one in eight shops in the centre could close due to a £150 million decrease in retail turnover, amounting to 10 per cent of the total.
He added: “I am also extremely concerned that there has not been a proper assessment regarding the damaging impact that this development will have on transport. It is bound to have a serious impact on local traffic congestion, particularly in Henbury, Westbury-on-Trym, Southmead, Horfield and Lockleaze.
“There also appears to be inadequate assessment into the probable impact that this development will have on the environment which will see a worsening of local air quality and an increase in greenhouse gas emissions. This flies in the face of existing government policy surrounding major developments.
“Over the next few weeks I shall be speaking with local businesses and seeking their advice about the best way forward. I will also be raising this issue directly with the Secretary of State, Greg Clark, as I do not want to see our high streets damaged by a poorly planned development that could have devastating consequences for Bristol and beyond.”
The plans have been recommended for approval by South Gloucestershire Council planning officers, who said in a report that the development would give the area an economic boost and create hundreds of jobs.
The report added: “It is concluded that, on balance, the environmental, social and economic benefits would be such that the development should be regarded as sustainable and, as there are no material considerations that would indicate otherwise, planning permission should be granted without delay.”
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