A FRESH row has erupted between the Friends of Badock’s Wood and the David Lloyd Club.
The sports and leisure group withdrew its plans for a spa extension in May while the padel court application was under consideration.
It has resubmitted the plans directly to the Planning Inspectorate, which it can do because Bristol City Council’s planning department is in special measures.
The Friends are concerned that this will mean the club avoids contributing £31,000 to the Community Infrastructure Levy.
Because the application will be considered by an officer at the Planning Inspectorate rather than through the council planning process, objections can only be lodged by email and the issue will not be discussed at a committee meeting where local residents can ask questions and make statements.
The Friends say the application has been changed since it was originally submitted to the council in May and therefore the scheme should go back to the council for full consideration.
It says in its newsletter: “Badock’s Wood is used by huge numbers of local people as well as wildlife. It is free for anyone to use whereas the private members sports club is not. Anything which might reduce the health and well being value to people, as well as to the wildlife, of Badock’s Wood should not go ahead. “
The chair of Friends of Badock’s Wood said: “David Lloyd has the opportunity to make a positive contribution to the local community in which it is based. It is a multi-million pound company but is exploiting the system to not only deprive us of proper local democratic input but also to deprive the community of £31,000.
“It makes no contribution to Southmead, offers no community activities or sponsorship, draws its private club members almost entirely from outside of Southmead, and its development plans will add noise and light intrusion to Badock’s Wood and adversely impact the wildlife there, and to cap it all it has now chosen a pathway to actively withhold this money from the community.”
A spokesperson for the sports club said: “At David Lloyd Clubs we are committed to making a positive contribution in the communities and environment in which we operate. We have already sent to the Inspectorate our commitment to fully cover the equivalent Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) payment, so there will be no loss to Bristol City Council or the local community.”