American healthcare technology software company Epic has reaffirmed its commitment to “significant investment” in the local economy after securing planning permission to build its new 90-acre European headquarters in Long Ashton. This rural village is part of the Bristol green belt.
Planning officers at North Somerset Council had agreed the plans were inappropriate development in the green belt — but recommended they should be approved anyway due to the major investment in the local economy.
North Somerset Council’s planning committee voted 9-4 to approve the large campus near Long Ashton. Epic anticipates creating around 2,150 jobs and generating £140 million in gross value added to the economy annually. However, the development has sparked considerable controversy due to its location on what is considered the most valuable stretch of green belt in North Somerset. People have criticised the loss of valuable rural land and more than 700 objections to the plans were made, including Long Ashton Parish Council voicing its “profound disappointment” at the decision.
The plans encompass the construction of office buildings, a 3,000-seat auditorium and a solar farm across the landscaped campus, which will be situated between the Long Ashton Bypass and the South Bristol Link Road.
In its first public statement since receiving planning permission, an Epic spokesperson said: “We are pleased that North Somerset Council supports our plans for the Epic Long Ashton Campus. This will be a highly sustainable development that uses renewable energy sources, preserves most of the campus as open space, and improves the ecology of the area through re-naturalisation of Ashton Brook and increased biodiversity.
“It is a significant investment in North Somerset and the UK… We look forward to building a positive long-term relationship with North Somerset Council and the wider Long Ashton and North Somerset community.”
Image source: Siggy Nowak from Pixabay
