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Council approves £3m for station preparation work

John Wimperis
Local Democracy Reporting Service
South Gloucestershire Council A CGI of what the North Filton station could look like, with a pedestrian bridge over the two platforms, passengers and a bicycle parking areaSouth Gloucestershire Council
Nearly £3m has been approved to start preparatory works for the new North Filton station

Preparatory works for a new railway station could soon be under way after nearly £3m in funding was granted.

The West of England Combined Authority (WECA) has approved £2.95m towards buying materials and creating designs for the new station in Filton in the north of Bristol.

The new station, which will be called either North Filton or Brabazon, will serve the £2bn Brabazon housing scheme, being built on the former Filton Airfield.

It will also take passengers to the new YTL Arena, which is also being built on the airfield site.

Speaking at a WECA meeting on 31 January 31, co-leader of South Gloucestershire Council Ian Boulton said the new town would be "the UK's largest brownfield development."

Mr Boulton said the new Brabazon development needed an integrated mass transit system, with North Filton station being a "vital component".

YTL A computer generated image of what the YTL Arena will look like once finished. There is a large walkway bridge lit up with blue and purple lights, leading towards the entrance. The arena itself is a long arched building with large electronic screens on either side. There are hundreds of people crossing the bridge, heading towards the arena.YTL
The new station will also serve visitors to the planned YTL Arena

"The development is a £2bn investment which represents a huge vote of confidence in the West of England region and the UK. Its vital therefore that we ensure the new railway station is delivered, and on time", he added.

The money has come from WECA's £72.6m Metrowest Phase 2 funding pot, which is set aside for both the North Filton/Brabazon and Henbury stations.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, £37.5 has already been spent on the Ashley Down station and the design for the new Henbury and North Filton/Brabazon stations.

A paper which went before the WECA committee, made up of metro mayor Dan Norris and the leaders of three three member councils, said project costs are expected to exceed the £72.6m funding.

A full business case still needs to be submitted before building the station can begin.

While the plans for Metrowest Phase 2 progress, the first phase of the project - which covers reopening the railway line to Portishead and Pill - remains uncertain.

While funding has been committed locally and North Somerset Council has approved measures to allow construction to start this summer, the new Labour government is reviewing its contribution to the project.

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