Green group says stadium 'flawed'

Bristol City Football Club stadium graphic

Bristol City wants to build a new ground at nearby Ashton Vale

Tesco drops football ground bid

A wildlife organisation has criticised Bristol City's "deeply flawed" stadium scheme, saying it will leave the city's environmental reputation "in tatters".

The Avon Wildlife Trust said rare bats, otters, wading birds and water voles were all at risk from the football club's plans for Ashton Vale.

But the club has rejected the claims, saying there has been "an exhaustive ecological assessment of the site."

The news comes on the day Tesco said it was pulling out of plans for the site.

It was revealed at the weekend that Sainsbury's, which has a store and petrol station nearby, is a more likely suitor for the site.

World Cup bid

The BBC understands that the existing store would close and a bigger store would be built at Ashton Gate.

Destroying Ashton Vale will leave Bristol's claims to being a green capital in tatters

Avon Wildlife Trust

The football club has made no secret of the fact its new 30,000-seat, £90m stadium project is dependent on selling its current site to a retailer.

A modern stadium would also bring the possibility of World Cup football to the city, should England's bid to host the 2018 succeed.

Plans for the stadium go before Bristol City Council planners next month.

'Destruction irreparable'

But Avon Wildlife Trust director, Steve Micklewright, said: "We have researched their [Bristol City's] proposals and judge them deeply flawed.

"If the bulldozers go in, the scale of destruction will be irreparable.

"Destroying Ashton Vale will leave Bristol's claims to being a green capital in tatters."

But Bristol City bosses say a new stadium would actually be good for the environment.

The club's chief executive Colin Sexstone said: "The project can be delivered in a manner which mitigates damage to existing wildlife in the surrounding area, and can actually boost biodiversity of large areas of the site."