TheNorth Fringe ofBristol,England is a mostly developed area between the northern edge of the administrativecity of Bristol and theM4 andM5 motorways. Its eastern edge is usually defined as theM32 motorway. The area falls withinSouth Gloucestershire Council, and is the northern part ofGreater Bristol.
Before the motorways were built in the 1960s and 1970s, the area contained the suburban village and towns ofFilton,Patchway andStoke Gifford, together withStoke Park Hospital.Bristol Parkway railway station was opened at Stoke Gifford in 1972. TheUniversity of the West of England (UWE) has its main campus in the area, nearFrenchay inStoke Gifford.
As a result of major pressures for development for housing, industry, offices and out-of-town shopping, the then local authority,Northavon District Council, prepared the North FringeLocal Plan for the area in 1987. This confirmed previous decisions in theAvon County Councilstructure plan, to remove land from thegreen belt at Patchway Common. The area was subsequently developed as the new settlement ofBradley Stoke. At around the same time, decisions were taken to develop major retail parks, and subsequently The Mall retail development, atCribbs Causeway adjoining junction 17 of the M5.
The North Fringe area, because of its highly accessible location adjoining two major motorways and on the edge of the major population centre of Bristol, experienced very substantial growth in housing and, in particular, employment during the 1980s and 1990s, which is still continuing.[1][2] The first major business park in the area wasAztec West, adjoining junction 16 of the M5. The North Fringe had over 67,000 jobs in 2001.[3] It now has severe road traffic congestion problems, particularly on the main roads, theA4174 andA38, as well as the motorways themselves.
Developments immediately to the east of this area and the M32, for instance atEmersons Green, are sometimes referred to as the East Fringe of Bristol.
In October 2016, theMetroBus released plans to improve bus journey times to the area, with a route from Cribbs Causeway toHengrove Park in south Bristol.[4]
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