It was billed as the Ground vs Green debate, organised by BBC Radio Bristol and the Evening Post and hosted in the Oasis Academy John Williams in Hengrove. But what we got tonight was theatre, pantomime even, complete with heroes to loudly cheer and villains to loudly boo.
Representing the good guys and 110 per cent in favour of a new stadium in Ashton Vale were Bristol City FC development director Guy Price, deputy Bristol City Council leader Simon Cook and Evening Post editor Mike Norton.
And representing the forces of evil, opposed to building a new 30,000-seat stadium on green belt land, were Steve Micklewright of Avon Wildlife Trust, Charles Cave of Long Ashton Parish Council and Ron Morton of the Save Our Green Spaces Campaign Alliance.
In front of an outrageously biased audience (whose overwhelming allegiance could be guessed at by the first audience member walking in wearing a red Bristol City shirt), battle commenced, adjudicated by ringmaster and our host for the evening, BBC Radio Bristol (or “Radio Breastful” as he was introduced by warm-up act Peter Rowell) breakfast presenter Steve Le Fevre.
If there was a people’s champion, it was Price from the football club, whose every utterance was cheered. The principal boo boy was Morton from Save Our Green Spaces, who seemed to revel in provoking the partisan crowd with his viewpoints, not that outrageous if you consider that planning permission has been granted to build on precious green belt land and a 270-page report by an independent inspector after a nine-day public hearing deemed that this land deserved town green status.
The man of reason was Micklewright, the only panel member to eloquently talk of compromise. Why shouldn’t half of the 42-acre site be given over to the stadium and much-needed arena which could sit alongside it, while the remainder be turned into a wetlands area for wildlife including otters and watervoles?
Evening Post editor Norton also made the same point. He and the newspaper are resolutely committed to supporting the new stadium, “standing up and being counted” he told us for the case for a stadium which overweighs the need for a town green. The Post tried to get a game of cricket played on the recently-designated town green land, but were unable to due to health and safety concerns.
The likelihood of a stadium being built at Ashton Vale and ergo whether World Cup games come to Bristol in 2018 if England in three days time is chosen to host the competition, boils down to whether a backbench group of councillors can rule against the independent ruling that Ashton Vale deserves town green status.
Town green expert Leslie Blohm QC was in the audience to tell us exactly what town green status is based on, namely that an area has to have been used by a significant number of local inhabitants over the last 20 years. The crucial thing here is the ambiguity of the word “significant”, which is not defined in terms of a definite number.
The law has been “misused and abused”, opined Price, a slick operator, who said that the town green bid “must fail” and be overturned by the obscure Public Rights of Way Committee, more used to deciding on footpaths than a new stadium (below), which if built has been estimated to bring up to £90 million of private investment to Bristol.
As the 200-strong crowd filed out of the auditorium, a few broke into a chant of “City, we love you”. Their allegiances and viewpoints were clear. It remains to be seen whether they will be shared by that all-important council committee.
Click here to listen again to the debate on the BBC iPlayer.
