1 Oct 2009New Bristol City stadium needs Tesco, says club chairman

Football Clubs News | Football Technology and Stadia

Bristol City chairman Steve Lansdown has said that the club's plans for a new football stadium cannot go ahead unless a Tesco store is built on the Ashton Gate site.

The Championship outfit's proposal for a new £30 million arena dubbed Ashton Vale has been complicated by its invitation for Tesco to launch a new supermarket at the existing stadium, with local residents far from happy about the idea.

However, Lansdown insists the club cannot afford the new ground without the additional funding provided by an agreement with Tesco.

"The message is very clear - no foodstore, no stadium. The shortfall is too big to fill," he told the Bristol Evening Post.

"I would be happy to be proved wrong - if anybody throws a cheque at me, I'd take it."

Lansdown also told the newspaper that the new stadium will bring economic growth and a "huge amount of kudos" to Bristol, which hopes to be one of England's host cities for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

Last month, about 150 residents held a public protest against the Tesco plans in the Bedminster area of the city.

Written by Mark Thompson

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