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Council boss apologises for ‘deeply unfair’ timing of decision dooming athletics track
Bristol’s council leader has apologised for the “deeply unfair” timing of a decision which doomed an athletics track.
Shortly before a recent debate about saving the Whitchurch Athletics Track, Green councillor Tony Dyer formally agreed to sell the site to a housing developer.
Labour criticised the timing and said Bristol City Council “should do better”.
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The evening after the “behind closed-doors” decision, members of the public came to City Hall to urge councillors to save the running track.
This included pleas from teenage athletes living in south Bristol.
In a new update, council bosses have now explained how saving the track would be too expensive, speaking to the strategy and resources policy committee on Monday.
This sparked questions over out-of-date evidence and the decision’s awkward timing.
Dyer said: “We do have to set ourselves to higher standards. I take full accountability for making that decision.
“I apologise for the timing of it, but not for the decision itself, which I felt was the right decision, and still think it was the right decision.”
He added that south Bristol needed new housing as well as sports facilities. The Hengrove Park development will build 1,400 new homes, half of which will be for social rent or shared ownership.
The first phase of the plan depends on building homes on the running track, which otherwise wouldn’t be financially viable, according to council bosses and Goram Homes.
Plans for Hengrove Park are for hundreds of homes – image: Bristol City Council
Back in March, Labour tabled a motion to the council, asking staff to both consider the financial implications of keeping the track where it is or building a replacement somewhere nearby.
This followed a petition signed by more than 6,000 people about saving the track.
Labour councillor Tom Blenkinsop said: “We had people who came and spoke incredibly passionately.
“It feels as though the way that was handled completely undercut that, and completely undercut this council’s commitment to democratic accountability.
“To have that decision made on the same day as the golden motion, in advance of all those contributions from the public, feels not only lacking in transparency, but deeply unfair on them.
“We can and should do better as a council.”
Local residents have been campaigning to retain Whitchurch Athletics Track for budding sportspeople in the area – photo: Save Whitchurch Athletics Track
Plans for Hengrove Park stretch back over years, and permission for the development has already been approved. Changing the housing plan at this late stage would cost between £5.7m and £12.6m.
Extra costs could include repaying money to the West of England Combined Authority and Homes England, and changing designs could spark years of delays.
Stephen Baker, managing director of Goram Homes, said: “This is a very large area masterplan that is conceived as a whole, rather than in phases.
“So it’s very difficult for us to ignore the running track phase, or come back to it, or relocate parts of the masterplan in a different sequence.
“You would need to go back to first principles and start all over again.
“There’s very limited options for us now, at this late stage in the process, which has already been going on for many, many years.”
Building a replacement track on the site is estimated to cost between £1.5m and £3m, although campaigners say the council wouldn’t have to pay for it.
However according to council bosses, there is no evidence of a demand for a second track in Bristol, which would dilute the demand for the main track in Whitehall and its fee income which is used to pay for maintenance.
But this evidence is now out of date and based on the council’s sport and active recreation facility strategy, which only covers 2018 to 2023.
A new strategy is about to be worked up, which will explore whether demand for running has changed since then, and this is due to be approved next summer.
Blenkinsop added: “If someone was determined to be uncharitable – and I’m not but I can see the argument being made here – we’re getting rid of a major facility before we do the strategy on what facilities we’re going to need.”
Likely to be included in the new strategy is a smaller facility, rather than a full-sized running track, somewhere in south Bristol. There was no mention during the committee meeting of potential alternative locations.
Whitchurch Athletics Track is located on Bamfield Road in south Bristol – photo: Save Whitchurch Athletics Track
Campaigners have met with senior council staff to set out their vision for keeping the running track and extensively refurbishing it, described as “ambitious”.
Guy Fishbourne, principal public health specialist, said: “Certainly, there’s some ambitious proposals and concepts there. But it’s probably fair to say that it’s at an early stage.”
Campaigners are hoping to install a state-of-the-art facility with a tree-lined circuit, with padel courts and a Hyrox facility inside the centre of the track.
The cycling centre based there would also be kept, as well as a cafe.
They estimate an annual income of £1.96m. Sponsorship from a major sports company like Nike or Adidas would also help with funding.
Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, lead campaigner John Pearce said: “Our vision for the track has never sought financial input from Bristol City Council.
“Our vision has always been to provide an independently funded space for young and old alike to support better health and well-being in South Bristol.”
Goram Homes, the council-owned developer, and Vistry, a housebuilder, are due to begin work adjacent to the track this summer.
Phase One of the Hengrove Park development includes building 209 homes east of South Bristol Community Hospital and improving the parkland to the west of the St Giles Estate.
Main photo: Save Whitchurch Athletics Track
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