Bristol Arena
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YTL Arena Bristol is a 17,000-capacity
indoor arena An arena is a large enclosed platform, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators ...
currently under construction, located on the former
Filton Airfield Filton Airport or Filton Aerodrome was a private airport in Filton and Patchway, within South Gloucestershire, north of Bristol, England. Description The airfield was bounded by the A38 road to the east, and the former London to Avonmouth ...
’s Brabazon hangar. Original plans were for the arena to be built next to
Bristol Temple Meads railway station Bristol Temple Meads is the oldest and largest railway station in Bristol, England. It is located away from London Paddington. It is an important transport hub for public transport in the city; there are bus services to many parts of the city ...
in
Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...
, England, and was expected to be completed in 2020. The site, which has become known as 'Arena Island', is to the south and across the River Avon from the station, and lies within
Bristol Temple Quarter Enterprise Zone Bristol Temple Quarter Enterprise Zone is an enterprise zone in Bristol, England, focused on creative, high-tech and low-carbon industries. Covering an area of , it is based around Bristol Temple Meads railway station, which is being redevelope ...
. The funding package for the arena scheme was approved by
Bristol City Council Bristol City Council is the local authority of Bristol, England. The council is a unitary authority, and is unusual in the United Kingdom in that its executive function is controlled by a directly elected mayor of Bristol. Bristol has 34 wards ...
in February 2014. The winning design, by Populous, was revealed in March 2015. In January 2017 a new contractor had to be sought following a failure to agree build costs. In September 2018 the plans to build the arena near Temple Meads were abandoned, primarily on cost and risk grounds. In 2019, YTL Corporation released details regarding their proposal to build the arena at the former Filton Airfield site. Planning permission was given in 2020, and construction is planned to start in 2022 with completion by 2024.


Background

Initial plans for Bristol Arena were announced in March 2003. The arena, to be built next to Bristol's largest railway station
Temple Meads Bristol Temple Meads is the oldest and largest railway station in Bristol, England. It is located away from London Paddington. It is an important transport hub for public transport in the city; there are bus services to many parts of the city ...
, was planned to have 10,000 seats and host music concerts as well as sports and conferences, and was intended to open by 2008 to coincide with the city's bid to be the European Capital of Culture. In June 2007, work had yet to begin on the arena despite around £13 million spent to purchase and clear the site. In late 2007, the plans were abandoned after developers announced that £40 million of
public sector The public sector, also called the state sector, is the part of the economy composed of both public services and public enterprises. Public sectors include the public goods and governmental services such as the military, law enforcement, infra ...
money would be required to fund the arena in addition to the £46m that had already been committed by
Bristol City Council Bristol City Council is the local authority of Bristol, England. The council is a unitary authority, and is unusual in the United Kingdom in that its executive function is controlled by a directly elected mayor of Bristol. Bristol has 34 wards ...
and the
South West of England Regional Development Agency The South West of England Regional Development Agency (SWRDA) was one of the nine Regional Development Agencies set up by the United Kingdom government in 1999. Its purpose was to lead the development of a sustainable economy in South West Engla ...
. By 2009, plans for Bristol Arena were back on the agenda with two plans put forward. One plan, similar to plans for the site next to Temple Meads, was supported by the architect and future
mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...
, George Ferguson. The other plan, supported by Bristol City Council, was to build an arena next to Bristol City's proposed stadium at
Ashton Vale Ashton Vale is a suburb located in the Bedminster ward of Bristol, United Kingdom.It Is located in the very south-western edge of the city. Ashton Vale has a mixture of residential and light industry. It is served by Ashton Vale Primary Schoo ...
. A number of legal challenges to Bristol City's proposed stadium caused the council to reconsider plans for an arena on the originally preferred site next to Temple Meads in 2012. With the opening of the
First Direct Arena The First Direct Arena (also known as the Leeds Arena) is an entertainment-focused indoor arena located in the Arena Quarter of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It is the first in the United Kingdom to have a fan-shaped orientation. The arena o ...
in
Leeds Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by populati ...
in the summer of 2013, Bristol became the largest city in the United Kingdom without a large arena-style venue. As of late 2013, Bristol's two largest music venues are the
Colston Hall Bristol Beacon, previously known as Colston Hall, is a concert hall and Grade II listed building on Colston Street, Bristol, England. It is owned by Bristol City Council. Since 2011, management of the hall has been the direct responsibility of ...
and the O2 Academy, which both hold around 2,000 people each. The site, which used to be the location of the
Bristol Bath Road depot Bristol Bath Road depot was a railway traction maintenance depot in central Bristol, England, which was in use from 1852 until 1995. History The Bristol and Exeter Railway opened workshops at Bath Road in January 1852. 35 locomotives were built ...
, was owned by the
Homes and Communities Agency Homes England is the non-departmental public body that funds new affordable housing in England. It was founded on 1 January 2018 to replace the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA). HCA in turn was established by the Housing and Regeneration Act 2 ...
(HCA). It is the biggest undeveloped site in
Bristol Temple Quarter Enterprise Zone Bristol Temple Quarter Enterprise Zone is an enterprise zone in Bristol, England, focused on creative, high-tech and low-carbon industries. Covering an area of , it is based around Bristol Temple Meads railway station, which is being redevelope ...
, an enterprise zone launched in 2012. In 2013 the HCA agreed to fund an £11 million road bridge over the River Avon, to link the site to Cattle Market Road and the railway station. The HCA transferred ownership of the arena site to Bristol City Council in March 2015. Construction of the bridge took place from March to September 2015. It has lanes for cars, bicycles and pedestrians. In March 2016, it was named Brock's Bridge, after William Brock (1830–1907), a local builder and entrepreneur. Once elected mayor, Ferguson launched a competition to find the best design for a 12,000 seat arena that would be "the most environmentally-friendly venue of its kind" and pledged that the project would be up and running within four years. This was followed by a bid to win £80 million from the government's Regional Growth Fund to partially fund the project and pay for renovations at
Colston Hall Bristol Beacon, previously known as Colston Hall, is a concert hall and Grade II listed building on Colston Street, Bristol, England. It is owned by Bristol City Council. Since 2011, management of the hall has been the direct responsibility of ...
, which ultimately proved unsuccessful.


Initial proposal

In February 2014, the funding package for the arena scheme was approved as part of Bristol City Council's budget. The total cost of the arena, £91 million, would be funded by the council which would have provided £38 million with the West of England Local Enterprise Partnership funding the remaining £53 million. In November 2014, the five shortlisted architects for the contract to design the arena were announced. The winning design by Populous, beating designs by Grimshaw Architects LLP, Idom Ingeniería y Consultoría, White Arkitekter and
Wilkinson Eyre WilkinsonEyre is an international architecture practice based in London, England. In 1983 Chris Wilkinson (architect), Chris Wilkinson founded Chris Wilkinson Architects, he partnered with Jim Eyre (architect), Jim Eyre in 1987 and the practice w ...
, was revealed in March 2015. The arena had been designed to achieve a
BREEAM BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method), first published by the Building Research Establishment (BRE) in 1990, is the world's longest established method of assessing, rating, and certifying the sustainability of ...
'Excellent' rating and would've been able to quickly convert from a number of different layouts, with capacities ranging from 4,000 to 12,000. The preferred operators, SMG Europe and
Live Nation Live Nation Entertainment, Inc. is an American global entertainment company and monopoly that was founded in 2010 following the merger of Live Nation and Ticketmaster. The company promotes, operates, and manages ticket sales for live entertainme ...
, were announced in December 2014. In March 2016, the arena plans suffered a further setback when the City's
planning committee A planning committee in the United Kingdom is a committee of local authority councillors that sit as the local planning authority to determine planning applications. Advice is usually given to the committee by planning officers who provide a reco ...
described the proposals as "defective" and deferred making a decision on them until an appropriate level of supporting information could be provided. Public concern over parking and transport around the proposals had not been properly addressed and the committee were not confident in the detail submitted for approval. George Ferguson claimed the planning committee had put the entire project at risk and the decision was "not about planning, it was about politics." Following multiple updates to the transport plan, the arena was granted planning permission in April 2016 with the planning committee unanimously in favour of the updated plans. In January 2017, the projected opening of the arena was delayed to 2020 after
Bristol City Council Bristol City Council is the local authority of Bristol, England. The council is a unitary authority, and is unusual in the United Kingdom in that its executive function is controlled by a directly elected mayor of Bristol. Bristol has 34 wards ...
and preferred construction firm
Bouygues Bouygues S.A. () is a French industrial group headquartered in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, 8th arrondissement of Paris, France. Bouygues is listed on the Euronext, Euronext Paris exchange and is a blue chip (stock market), blue chip in the C ...
UK failed to agree on construction costs. Three months later, it was announced that
Buckingham Group Buckingham Group Contracting Ltd is a construction company located near Stowe, between Buckingham and Silverstone in north Buckinghamshire which operates throughout England and Wales. Established originally in 1955 as Buckingham Plant Hire, it in ...
, who had initially been the second preferred bidder, would carry out preliminary work on the site while negotiating a final price. Bristol City Council have also commissioned an independent review into the project's value for money. In November 2017, the
Bristol Post The ''Bristol Post'' is a city/regional five-day-a-week (formerly appearing six days per week) newspaper covering news in the city of Bristol, including stories from the whole of Greater Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire. It was ...
revealed plans to construct the arena within the Brabazon Hangar at the former
Filton Airfield Filton Airport or Filton Aerodrome was a private airport in Filton and Patchway, within South Gloucestershire, north of Bristol, England. Description The airfield was bounded by the A38 road to the east, and the former London to Avonmouth ...
on the edge of the city's boundary. In September 2018, Mayor
Marvin Rees Marvin Rees (born April 1972) is a British Labour Party politician who has served as the Mayor of Bristol since 2016. Early life and education Marvin Rees was brought up in Bristol, partly in Lawrence Weston and Easton, by his British mother. ...
scrapped the arena plans in favour of a mixed use development, leaving the Brabazon Hangar as the only option. The primary reasons given for the decision were build cost, future financial risk and job creation. The build cost for the council had increased to £150 million plus half of any cost overruns. Costs arising should the arena not be successful would be to the council, and expert advice was that the venue size was too small for major events. Rees also argued a mixed use development would create more and better paid jobs.


Car parking

Criticism of the Temple Quarter arena plans had often been aimed at the low number of dedicated
car parking Parking is the act of stopping and disengaging a vehicle and leaving it unoccupied. Parking on one or both sides of a road is often permitted, though sometimes with restrictions. Some buildings have parking facilities for use of the buildings' ...
spaces on site. Initial plans revealed there would be just 245 spaces on site, 200 of which would be in a temporary facility which would eventually be developed into offices, apartments and retail space. George Ferguson defended the plans, saying "it would be completely mad, completely mad, to put a mass of parking on the site." In February 2016, Bristol City Council denied it had performed a
u-turn A U-turn in driving refers to performing a 180° rotation to reverse the direction of travel. It is called a "U-turn" because the maneuver looks like the letter U. In some areas, the maneuver is illegal, while in others, it is treated as a m ...
after it emerged an eight-storey, 480 space car park was to be considered for the site.


Current plans

The owner of the former
Bristol Filton Airport Filton Airport or Filton Aerodrome was a private airport in Filton and Patchway, within South Gloucestershire, north of Bristol, England. Description The airfield was bounded by the A38 road to the east, and the former London to Avonmouth r ...
,
YTL Corporation YTL Corporation Berhad (, ) is a Malaysian infrastructure conglomerate, founded in 1955 by Yeoh Tiong Lay, after whom the group is named. YTL Corporation Berhad is an integrated infrastructure developer with extensive operations in countries ...
, announced plans in early 2019 for a 17,000 seat indoor arena in the former Brabazon hangar, in partnership with Avison Young, Grimshaw and MANICA Architecture. The “unique seating bowl” design of the arena would allow for flexible capacity ranging from 4,000 to 17,000. Plans include a walkway modelled after
Wembley Way Olympic Way, often incorrectly known as Wembley Way, is the road that links Wembley Park tube station and Wembley Stadium in Wembley Park, London, England. Thousands of spectators walk along it to every event as the road leads directly into the ...
, 36 'Brabazon Steps' and a 75m bridge over the Henbury Loop railway line. The new entrance for the arena in the central hangar will be raised above the existing floor, looking out over the runway. The east and west hangars will be transformed into a Festival Hall and 'The Hub'. Festival Hall will host exhibitions and conventions as well as large scale events. The Hub will consist of small or start-up businesses, food and drink outlets, and leisure facilities. Planning permission was given in 2020, and construction is planned to start in 2022 with completion by 2024. The former airfield site has been earmarked by
South Gloucestershire South Gloucestershire is a unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of Gloucestershire, South West England. Towns in the area include Yate, Chipping Sodbury, Thornbury, Filton, Patchway and Bradley Stoke, the latter three forming part ...
Council for 2,675 new homes. This new suburb, to be called Brabazon, will begin construction in 2020 with first residents arriving in 2021.


See also

* O2 Academy Bristol, currently Bristol's largest concert venue *
Bristol Beacon Bristol Beacon, previously known as Colston Hall, is a concert hall and Grade II listed building on Colston Street, Bristol, England. It is owned by Bristol City Council. Since 2011, management of the hall has been the direct responsibility of ...
, Bristol's second largest concert venue *
Motorpoint Arena Cardiff Cardiff International Arena (formerly known as Cardiff International Arena & Convention Centre and later, for sponsorship reasons, Motorpoint Arena Cardiff) is an indoor exhibition centre and events arena located in Cardiff, Wales, and was open ...
, the nearest comparable arena


References


External links

* {{Culture in Bristol Proposed indoor arenas Proposed sports venues in the United Kingdom Indoor arenas in England Sports venues in Bristol