News & Updates Archive
Public to have their say on Ashton Park
24th February 2009
The team behind the proposals to create Ashton Park, a new city district to the south west of Bristol, is seeking the opinions of local people to help the plans take shape.
An exhibition is being held at The Architecture Centre, Narrow Quay, Bristol from Thursday, 26 February until Sunday, 8 March, where members of the public can see how the designs are developing and offer their own ideas, aspirations and comments.
The plans are by being taken forward by LandTrust Developments, and Managing Director Jonathan Chastney said: “Ashton Park is about creating a modern community which meets the needs of local people – and to do that we need positive input from the community to help shape this development for everyone.
“Our early plans for Ashton Park are ambitious and when people see them I hope they will be excited about this development, which I believe offers something different for Bristol and North Somerset.”
More than 7,000 jobs could be created by the scheme, which will have a mix of uses including around 10,000 homes, offices, shops, and community facilities. This will help Bristol and North Somerset meet the increasing demand for housing in the region over the next 20 years. Ashton Park is one of a number of areas earmarked around Bristol to meet future demand by the South West Regional Spatial Strategy.
Jonathan said: “This will be a new community that meets the needs of our expanding population. The focus will be on sustainability and creating places where people want to live, work or play.
“There will be a series of neighbourhoods linked by streets, public transport, a network of foot/cycle links and green infrastructure such as parks and natural green space. We are not rushing into this. This is a long-term scheme which will be developed over the next 20 years and infrastructure and support services will be built as the development progresses, not after all the houses have been built and occupied.”
What do we plan to deliver?
- A new part of Bristol that has an equally close relationship to the city and the North Somerset countryside
- Approximately 10,000 new homes (including affordable housing)
- 7,000 new jobs (including a mix of office, research and light industry)
- Community facilities such as seven schools (primary and secondary), nurseries, a library, a leisure centre and health centres to provide for the new population
- A foodstore and local retail units together with pubs, cafes and restaurants
- A modern rapid transport system that connects the new district with the city centre and other important destinations such as the airport. New road links between the A370 and the A38 will also be created
- Over 60ha of publicly accessible open spaces and parks, linked by a network of footpaths and cycle ways for recreation and access to the city centre or open countryside
- Integrated wildlife features to bring nature into the city; these will include green roofs, new planting and managed green routes providing safe routes for wildlife to move through the development
- Low energy buildings that utilise locally-sourced renewable energy and ‘grey water’
- Strategies to minimise waste, water usage and energy consumption from the outset
- Pedestrian-friendly streets that use shared-space principles
- Buildings, streets and spaces designed to make the most of the topography and the views.
As a sign of its commitment to finding local community solutions to the challenges faced by Ashton Park, LandTrust Developments is being assisted in their proposals by Bristol-based planning consultants Baker Associates, who have a real understanding of local development issues.
Executive Director John Baker said: “This will be a phased development with the area’s central facilities, such as shops and main transport links to the city, built at the same time as the first phase of housebuilding. The various areas within the site will then be developed in phases to help build great places which are home to strong communities. Most importantly, Ashton Park will become a new part of Bristol that we can be proud of – challenging the belief that all new housing areas are the same.”
The Architecture Centre is open Tuesday to Friday (11am-5pm), Saturday and Sunday (12noon-5pm) and is closed on Monday. Members of the public can also find out information from the project hotline on 0117 376 3259 or the website.
