Client
Bristol Rovers Football Club (1883) Ltd

Project Director
James Darrall

Status
Planning Permission

We were instructed by Bristol Rovers Football Club (1883) Ltd to provide transport planning services in support of a planning application for a new 21,700 capacity all seater stadium to provide the new home for Bristol Rovers Football Club in the North Fringe of Bristol within South Gloucestershire. Located close to the A4174 Avon Ring Road and the M32 and M4 motorways the key issues for this site were minimising the impact on the local and strategic road network by capitalising on the sites location close to excellent bus and rail public transport links, and the proximity to existing supporters homes through traffic management measures and travel planning initiatives.

We prepared a comprehensive Transport Assessment, Non-Stadium Event Travel Plan and an environmental transport impact assessment for the Environmental Statement. Technical work included detailed assignment of non-event and event stadium trips on the local and strategic highway network. The assignment was complicated due to the requirement to ‘net-off’ vehicular trips associated with existing planning consents on the stadium site as well as removing trips associated with the existing Bristol Rovers home ground at the Memorial Stadium. Agreement was reached with the Local Highway Authority and Highways Agency through negotiation that the proposed stadium would not have a material impact on the operation of the highway network and as such no physical improvement works were required.

A number of innovative traffic management and travel planning initiatives are proposed as part of the development. The stadium will benefit from a Stadium Events Travel Management Plan. This enables the release of car parking spaces on site, dedicated supporters buses, shuttle buses between local rail stations and advanced Variable Message Signage to be linked to forecast attendances to enable an appropriate balance between car based and sustainable modes of travel to be achieved. A Stadium Event Residents Permit Parking Scheme is also proposed to be implemented, monitored and enforced in close proximity to the stadium to ensure that local residents are not inconvenienced by supporters parking in local streets.

We were involved in extensive liaison and negotiation with Development Control and Transport Management Officers at South Gloucestershire and Bristol City Council’s as well as with the Highways Agency and Avon and Somerset Police. We advised on the Section 106 Agreement and negotiated transport contributions. We attended public consultation events and worked as part of a multi-disciplinary team to develop the scheme.