Permission granted for new Filton train station
South Gloucestershire Council hopes building work can begin "as soon as possible"
Plans to build a new train station in Filton to service the upcoming music venue the YTL Arena and thousands of new homes, have been granted formal approval.
South Gloucestershire Council has rubber stamped the proposal to build a new station called North Filton near the old airfield.
It comes as part of the wider MetroWest project to improve transport links across the West Country and will sit on a line connecting the area with Bristol Temple Meads via Henbury and Ashley Down, where there are plans to build another new station.
"Up to 6,000 new homes are planned to be delivered in the next 20 years in the local area and providing reliable public transport links to Bristol and the region will help to make these new communities sustainable and successful," a statement from South Gloucestershire Council reads.
"The council received revised plans for the new station just before Christmas from Network Rail and fast-tracked its final assessment of the proposals to enable a decision to be made promptly, so that work on the station could begin as soon as possible."
It is hoped that the station could be complete in 2026, at around the same time as the YTL Arena is finished.
South Gloucestershire Council Cabinet Member with responsibility for planning and strategic infrastructure, Cllr Steve Reade, said: “This is a significant milestone, and I am pleased the council has been able to prioritise its efforts to accelerate the delivery of the planning permission for the new station.
“North Filton Station will support not only the growing resident population, but the new and existing infrastructure, businesses and entertainment facilities, which will attract visitors from across the region and beyond to this part of South Gloucestershire.
"Having regular and reliable public transport links will be vital to make this area an attractive place to live, work and visit.
“This decision will now enable our delivery partners to take forward the new station without delay to serve the new arena, existing residents and businesses and the new community at Brabazon.”
Just last month the team behind the YTL Arena announced it was delaying its likely opening date from 2024, to either the end of 2025 or sometime in 2026.
YTL Developments blamed Covid and "general challenges in the construction market", but it does mean that the opening of the Arena and the train station could now be aligned, whereas previously the Arena was set to open some two years before the train station to service it.