Running out of time Athletics track set to go after motion defeated

THE death knell has sounded for a cherished running track in south Bristol - and potentially any nearby replacement - after Greens leading the city council scuppered an opposition Labour bid to save it.

- Adam POSTANS

Whitchurch Athletics Track

Whitchurch Athletics Track has faced the threat of closure since planning permission was granted in 2020 for the 1,435-home Hengrove Park development which includes the site.

Labour tabled a motion to full council on Tuesday calling for the facility to be retained alongside other investments in sport including refurbishing the Downs football changing rooms. But the party withdrew the proposals before they could be debated accusing the Green administration of a last-minute “wrecking amendment” which they claimed rendered the motion meaningless.

The Green Party amendment stated the reprovision of an athletics track at Hengrove Park posed an unacceptable risk to the delivery of the new homes and the 22.2-hectare public park.