City bowls a £400,000 bridging loan googly to keep county cricket in Bristol

March 15, 2012
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Bristol City Council has agreed to make a £400,000 bridging loan to Gloucestershire County Cricket Club in what some will see as a last-ditch attempt to hang on to cricket at the County Ground in Ashley Down. The secured loan will be repaid regardless of whether the cricket club succeeds or fails with a revised planning application to redevelop the ground.

The city council's own planning committee threw out the club's £10m proposals for a maximum capacity 17,500 seats at the County Ground because it objected to a block of 147 flats that would help pay to transform the ground for international cricket. Opponents said that at seven storeys the proposed flats would be too big, lacked sufficient parking and would be harmful to a conservation area.

This led the cricket club to threaten to leave the city following the decision in January. It talked initially about a move to Gloucester but has since come up with an alternative plan to utilise about 40 acres of Filton Airfield when it closes, thus moving a second major sporting venue out of the city and into South Gloucestershire. This follows the agreement between Bristol Rovers and the University of the West of England (UWE) to quit the Memorial Ground in Horfield for a new 20,000-seater stadium on the university campus.
 
In cash terms, losing the 122-year-old cricket ground, as well as the Memorial Ground, would be a huge loss to the city in light of an independent survey by UWE showing the local economy could benefit by as much as £1.5m from a one-day international and more than £5m from Test matches.
 
Hence the city council's decision to make the  loan which will "help support the ongoing efforts to improve the facilities, invest in cricket for the region and secure international matches".

Simon Cook, Cabinet Member for Culture, Sport and Capital Projects, said: “As part of our duties as a local authority, we are keen to support organisations that are valuable to the city and important to its residents. We understand how important sport is for the successful infrastructure of the region and have always been supportive of the cricket club in their ambition to retain international cricket at the Nevil Road ground.

“Offering a loan is a pragmatic way we can help over the next few months while they work on the development plans for the ground. Its repayment is guaranteed whether their plans proceed or not, so does not in any way prejudice the council’s independent planning decision making process.”

Cricket club chief executive Tom Richardson said: “Entering into this agreement with the council is a positive move for the club and we are grateful to have received their support in this financial matter."

Meanwhile the club has unveiled its revised plans for the redevelopment of the County Ground. The club says it has  “listened and responded to concerns raised by the planning committee about height and scale of the development” (see illustration. The red line marks the height of the original plan). While retaining the objective of building a stadium capable of holding 17,500 spectators, therefore, the height of the proposed residential development has been reduced from seven stories to six.

To accommodate the 12 flats removed through the reduction in height, the building will be extended at the Kennington Avenue end.

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