Hopes are high that plans for upgrades to three motorway junctions near the proposed Brabazon mixed-use development on the former Filton Airfield will be finalised in the autumn.
It comes as South Gloucestershire councillors approved a six-month delay so that talks on the changes can continue between applicants YTL Developments, the local authority and National Highways, which is maintaining a holding objection to the scheme because it is not yet satisfied about the impacts on the road network.
YTL wants to build 6,500 homes, schools, offices, cafes, restaurants, pubs, hotels, community centres and a research campus on the site in north Bristol, which forms part of the wider Cribbs Patchway New Neighbourhood.
The huge proposed increase in residents, along with a new arena in the adjacent former aeroplane hangars, means changes are needed to motorway junctions and roads.
The developers originally submitted plans ten years ago for 2,675 homes but a revised application with the enormous increase was granted outline permission by councillors in February subject to National Highways’ support within six months.
That deadline expires at the end of this month with no realistic prospect of it being accepted by the government-owned company by then, so the council’s Strategic Sites Delivery Committee voted unanimously on Thursday 15th August 2024 to extend it by another six months to next February.
But Cllr Matt Palmer (Labour, New Cheltenham) told the meeting that he was concerned that National Highways had already accepted its latest multi-billion-pound road investment strategy which covers 2025-30.
This has been under development for three years and does not include the plans for Junctions 16 and 17 on the M5 and Junction 1 of the M32 because the enlarged Brabazon development was only granted consent in February 2024.
Cllr Palmer said:
“I haven’t got an objection to this but my concern is that if National Highways are saying extend it for six months, they will possibly put another holding objection on it after that.”
“There are other planning applications that want to use the motorway junctions, and the concern is that they would be overrun with vehicles.”
South Gloucestershire Council major sites manager Eileen Paterson replied:
“National Highways’ approach at the moment is a worst-case scenario approach with this application.”
“What they’re saying is they want it modelled out if none of the sustainable transport initiatives were to take place and that the development was a car-dominated development.”
“With the measures that are in place and the phasing of the development, we believe that that situation is not going to actually arise.”
“It is key for this development and also for the arena that it is not car-dominated.”
“But we and the applicants do need to persuade National Highways through the modelling and putting together a strategy in the event that that should happen.”
“A lot of work has gone on and I do hope by autumn that the worst-case strategy mitigation will be in place and will be acceptable to National Highways.”
She said positive progress had been made and that National Highways were “keen and willing to continue negotiating with us”.
Ms Paterson said:
“We have made headway. It’s a complex application and the impact does need to be mitigated and we need to work through it carefully.”
“This is a scheme that will be built out over well over 20 years, so we need to make sure we’re getting things right now.”
YTL planning and development manager Natalie Atkinson told the committee:
“Given the scale of the application it’s perhaps unsurprising that we haven’t been able to conclude all matters within six months.”
“However, we have made excellent progress against the outstanding matters.”
She said modelling was taking place to assess the impact of proposed changes to the motorway junctions.
“We are confident of a positive outcome and have regular meetings with National Highway to resolve the conditions to their satisfaction,” she said.
“We are hopeful of a positive resolution over the autumn.”
National Highways said in a letter to the council that YTL proposed modifying M5 Junction 17 and M32 Junction 1 while suggesting no alterations to M5 junction 16 other than traffic light changes on the A38.
It said YTL’s assumption was that trips to and from the Brabazon site would avoid M5 junction 16 because of congestion, and that the situation was still being reviewed.
The letter said:
“National Highways is responsible for operating, maintaining and improving the SRN (strategic road network) which in this area includes the M5 J16, M5 J17, and M32 J1.
“We are therefore concerned with any impacts that this development may have on their safe operation.”
✍ Article by Adam Postans, Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS).
