News / Long Ashton
Controversial technology campus approved in green belt
Councillors have given the green light to an American company to build a 90-acre technology campus across the narrow stretch of green belt between Long Ashton and Bristol.
Healthcare technology company Epic said its European headquarters would bring 2,150 high quality jobs in life sciences and £140m in gross value added to the economy per year, becoming the largest private employer in North Somerset.
The fields between the Long Ashton Bypass and South Bristol Link Road where the company chose to build the office buildings, 3,000-seater auditorium and solar field are considered to be North Somerset’s most valuable stretch of green belt.
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Planning officers at North Somerset Council had agreed the plans were inappropriate development in the green belt but recommended it should be approved anyway due to the major investment in the local economy.
At the planning committee to decide the plans, Long Ashton Lib Dem councillor Ash Cartman asked: “Do they need this site to deliver those economic benefits?”
Cartman said: “It’s clear to me from this application that Bristol gets the jobs, Weston gets the money and Long Ashton gets the hassle.”
Councillors on the planning committee voted 9-4 to approve the plans, to shouts of “shame” from the public gallery.
Long Ashton Parish Council have expressed “profound disappointment” at North Somerset Council’s decision to approve Epic’s planning application for development on green belt land – image: Epic
Debating the plans, planning committee member, Conservative councillor Terry Porter, said: “This is the biggest opportunity I have seen us have. It’s also the hardest one, there’s no doubt about that.”
The majorly divisive plans caused a split on North Somerset Council’s executive committee. The executive member responsible for sustainability, Green councillor Annemieke Waite, warned the plans would set a “dangerous precedent”, while the executive member responsible for economy, Lib Dem councillor Mark Canniford said it would be a “game changer”.
Long Ashton’s other local councillor, Green Stuart McQuillian, sits on the planning committee and urged the council to refuse planning permission for the plans.
But only he, Dan Thomas (Congresbury and Puxton, Green), Tim Snaden (Portishead North, Portishead Independent) and Peter Crew (Weston-super-Mare South Worle, Conservative) voted against approving the plans.
The 90-acre technology campus will be built across the narrow stretch of green belt between Long Ashton and Bristol – map: Epic
Long Ashton Parish Council said it felt “profound disappointment” at the decision.
In a statement, the parish council said: “The development will transform Long Ashton from a distinct rural community into what will effectively become a conurbation of Bristol, causing significant and irreparable harm to local heritage assets and valuable agricultural land.
“The approval contradicts overwhelming local opposition, with 96 per cent of submissions to the Planning Portal objecting to the development.
“It also disregards formal objections from numerous statutory bodies, Bristol City Council and other parish councils in North Somerset.”
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More than 700 people had lodged their objections to the plans.
Addressing the planning committee, former Long Ashton parish councillor Charles Cave called the plans a “monstrous carbuncle”.
He told the committee: “It would effectively join us to Bristol and we do not wish to be subsumed into Bristol.”
Parish councillor Chris Davis added: “If the green belt is lost, the semi-rural character of Long Ashton will be lost as well.”
Also speaking against the plans, Claire Horn added: “This is not grey belt land. It is high quality undeveloped green belt.”
Epic said its European headquarters would bring 2,150 high quality jobs in life science – image: Epic
But the plans had the support of Weston College principal Pat Jones and Business West’s Phil Smith at the meeting for the new jobs it would create.
Smith said: “We see the creation of skilled high quality jobs to help our NHS and our healthcare sector being of national importance and a large vote of confidence in North Somerset.”
Although the plans have been approved, it will now need to be sent to the secretary of state – who has a chance to call-in the plans because it is inappropriate development in the green belt.
Speaking after the vote, Canniford said: “I’m delighted that it’s gone through. This poses a huge opportunity for the whole of North Somerset and shows that North Somerset is open for business and we want to see opportunities like this all over the district.”
But Waite said: “For everyone who lives along the A38, this is a bad decision. And we are going to live to regret it.”
Cartman added: “This council has become institutionally corrupted by an application which shows they know the price of everything and the value of nothing.”
Main image: Epic
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