CONTROVERSIAL plans for a rail depot near Parkway Station have been given the green light despite strong opposition from action group campaigners.

After more than two hours of deliberations, South Gloucestershire councillors approved the scheme which could create up to 170 jobs in the area and improve train connection on the London to Bristol line.

The planning application had been submitted by Hitachi Rail Europe to build a new maintenance shed and depot to park the new electric trains to be introduced on the Great Western line by 2017.

At the meeting of the Development West Committee Cllr Keith Cranney (Con, Stoke Gifford) told members that he was impressed when he first heard of the scheme.

He said: "We can all be reasuured by the fact that 170 jobs will created. We all have an obligation to try and maintain jobs for our children and further generations. But residents have said the depot would be a blot on the landscape and a disturbance so we want to see Hitachi go the extra mile to ensure the residents are protected, both now and in the future."

Residents had strongly opposed the project claiming that the noise and fumes coming from 24/7 facility would severely affect their day-to day-lives.

The new electric trains will travel between Bristol and London in 75 minutes reducing the current journey time by a quarter of an hour.

Work on the depot should start later this summer and will take between 18 and 24 months to complete.