FILTON KEYNES: Plans to transform airfield near Bristol into new neighbourhood unveiled
The vision to transform Filton Airfield into homes, schools, shops and businesses over the next 20 years can be revealed in detail for the first time.
Land owner BAE Systems has submitted an outline planning application for the site to South Gloucestershire Council.
If it is approved, work could start in 2016 or 2017, with the first people moving in that year. But the scheme may not be finished for up to 20 years.
The site stretches across 354 acres ^ that's about 354 football pitches or 5,664 tennis courts ^ and will include:
● 2,675 new homes
● Two new primary schools and one new secondary school which will double up as a sports centre
● A community centre, bowling green, skate park, three kick-about areas and 12 play parks for different age groups
● Dental surgery, health centre, optician and 70-bed care home
● A pub, supermarket and other shops
● 120-bed hotel
● New railway station, Metrobus link and road improvements.
The project will support 700 jobs in construction and 800 more from suppliers. But those behind it believe the real economic benefit will come in the shape of more than 7,000 jobs in companies they hope will move to the new offices and workshops that will be built on part of the site to be called Concorde Park. Those jobs are estimated to contribute ^300 million a year to the economy, with workers and residents expected to spend ^44.5 million a year.
They hope is that the area's strong aerospace and engineering sector ^ combined with a supply of new homes and leisure facilities for workers nearby ^ will attract more similar business, bringing high-skilled jobs with them.
When the airfield closed, many feared the vital aerospace sector would disappear but there is little sign of that so far. Airbus recently invested ^70 million refurbishing art deco building Pegasus House to house 300 of its 4,000 staff in Filton. And the wings it makes here are now shipped to Seville, Spain, for assembly instead of flown there.
BAE, itself a big part of the aerospace industry in Filton, has hired property agency Alder King to handle the planning application and then market the site to developers, who would buy it as a whole or in pieces to build on.
Previous partner Bridgehouse Capital is no longer involved. It had been reported in the past that the private equity firm was buying the site but the deal never went through and the parties have now gone their separate ways.
John Benson from Alder King said the area's heritage would be celebrated in the development. "During our consultation, people told us what was most important to them ^ heritage, jobs, transport and community facilities," he said. "Ninety-five per cent agreed with the plans to celebrate heritage, not only through the new museums but also through naming the site, roads and buildings after famous people and planes from the past. We will continue to work with local groups to do this and will call the employment area Concorde Park in line with the public vote."
Representatives from Alder King and BAE will be meeting regularly with the council and nearby South Gloucestershire College to talk about skills and training. The aim is to ensure the college produces people with the right skills to take advantage of new jobs created on the site.
College vice-principal Sara-Jane Watkins said: "Our students took part in the consultation on the airfield and made it clear that jobs were their top priority. By taking part in a skills and training body, we can see what jobs will be required and make sure local students are ready to fill them."
The council has learned from the experience of Bradley Stoke, where new communities were left for years without facilities. Then house builders only had to provide schools and other facilities after they reached a set level of homes, meaning if they stopped just short, no facilities were built. At Filton, they will instead be charged a roof tax, where they pay a fee for every home built into a pot, managed by the council, to spend on the site as needed.
One big concern will be transport, with thousands of new jobs and homes leading to thousands more cars on the roads.
The development will be contributing to road improvement and transport schemes designed to get people out of their cars, including a Metrobus route running through the site and the land for a new railway station that would be served by the restored Henbury Loop line ^ if it becomes a reality. Planners will also hope that having homes, jobs and leisure facilities close together will mean people can work, rest and play without having to commute into Bristol city centre, in theory at least.
Alder King and BAE Systems are also working with the Great Western Air Ambulance and National Police Air Service to find a permanent site for the helicopter services, which are currently based at the airfield, but nothing has been agreed yet.
The Filton Airfield scheme will be part of the wider redevelopment from Cribbs Causeway to Patchway, creating 5,700 new homes in total.
