The 16-year history of trying to get an arena for Bristol

2003

Plans for an arena for Bristol were first proposed in 2003 with the aim of having it completed by 2008.

It was agreed that the arena should be built on brownfield site near Bristol Temple Meads station, on the former Bristol Bath Road depot land.

The arena was originally planned to have a 10,000 capacity.

2004

Bristol City Council buys nine acres of land next to Bristol Temple Meads station for £13million

2007

Fears of the spiralling cost of the area are raised in June 2007.

In December the plans are shelved after a report predicts that the project will come to £86million.

2009

The quest for an arena in the city was given a new lease of life in 2009 when plans for a 15,000 capacity venue were proposed in Ashton Vale, close to where Bristol City wanted to build a new stadium.

This was originally supported by the council, however architect and future Mayor, George Ferguson, lobbied the council to use the original Temple Meads plan.

2012

After several reports the council again changed its mind on the location of the arena and reverted back to the original site in Temple Meads.

The then Liberal Democrat controlled council said it would fund the project through a Bristol Bond.

After his election in November 2012, Bristol Mayor, George Ferguson gave new impetus to the plans and said the Bristol Arena was one of the main priorities for his administration.

2013

In January 2013 Mr Ferguson launched a competition for architects to submit designs for the Bristol Arena.

2014

Plans for a 12,000 capacity arena near Temple Meads were approved by Bristol City Council in February 2014.

It was agreed that £53million – the bulk of funding – would come from the West of England Local Enterprise Partnership City Deal and the remaining £38million would be loaned to the council by the lease operator.

Mr Ferguson predicted that the arena will be open by 2017.

A design by architectural firm, Populous, was voted as the favourite for the venue by the people of Bristol.

2015

Costs for the Arena jump by 16 per cent bringing the total to £93 million.

The project is pushed back to 2018.

Councillors also raised concerns over parking provisions at the area, with only 45 permanent spaces planned for the city centre venue.

2016

In January plans for an eight-storey, 500 space car park, were added to the arena brief with the aim of dispelling parking fears.

In March the council delayed the final approval of arena plans citing a lack of clarity.

It was also suggested that Mr Ferguson was attempting to push through approval to aid his election campaign.

In response, the former Mayor accused the committee of playing “party politics”.

The plans were finally approved five weeks later, however the delay added an extra £400,000 on to the cost of the project.

January 2017

Bristol City Council axe contractors Bouygues UK Limited after an agreement on price could not be reached.

Bristol Mayor, Marvin Rees, released a statement assuring the public that the arena would go ahead, but had to be the right price.

March 2017

Papers released for Bristol City Council cabinet meeting in which councillors are recommended to approve Buckingham Group as new arena contractors.

Officers say three options will be left to the council if it cannot agree a price with Buckingham Group: drawing new plans for the arena, reducing arena capacity or shelving the project.

The council will also have to rethink parking plans for the arena after it sold the former Royal Mail sorting office – the site originally designated for an arena car park – to Bristol University.

The cost for the arena and supporting infrastructure now stands at £123.5million.

April 2017

Buckingham Group approved as new arena contractors.

Marvin Rees launches ‘value for money’ assessment to assess the future of the arena.

November 2017

Marvin Rees extends the ‘value for money’ assessment and goes back to the drawing board saying “nothing is off the table” including private investment, a new site or a a new design.

The Bristol Post reveals the council is considering moving the arena to the Brabazon hangar in Filton Airfield.

January 2018

Bristol City Council publicly admits it is considering YTL’s offer and the bid will be included in it’s value for money assessment.

March 2018

Bristol’s Green Group put forward a motion in Full Council to keep the venue in the city centre. Several Labour councillors blasted the motion for being “inappropriate”, but despite the protestations it was passed by 34 to 12 votes with 17 abstentions.

A 4,500 strong public petition in support of Temple Island was also submitted to the council.

April 2018

A decision on the location of Bristol Arena is delayed to allow Bristol City Council’s scrutiny committee to review the ‘value for money’ assessment.

The announcement was due to be made on Tuesday, May 1.

June 12, 2018

The ‘value for money’ assessment in to Arena Island and Filton Airfield is published.

The KPMG report states the cost of building the concert venue on the city centre site had risen by £65million to £188.6million.

The auditors claim an arena on Temple Island would be profitable, however the land would provide more money and jobs if it was used for a conference centre, housing and shops.

The financial experts warn of potential “economic leakage” from the city centre if the arena is moved to north Bristol.

June 19, 2018

A week long scrutiny session begins in to the ‘value for money report’.

The committee is told contractors, Buckingham Group, can build the arena in the city centre for the pre-arranged sum of £122million.

Councillors eventually recommend the venue should remain on Temple Island.

June 26, 2018

Bristol Mayor, Marvin Rees, announces he will delay making a decision on the arena site again to consider “new information”.

The decision is moved back to September.

August 13, 2018

Bristol Live reveals private talks on whether to move the Bristol Arena from Temple Island to Filton started at least six months before the council has officially acknowledged.

August 20, 2018

A cross party group of councillors successfully calls for an extraordinary full council meeting to discuss the arena project.

Councillors want Mr Rees to “abide by” the result of a full council vote when making his decision.

August 21, 2018

Plans for a conference centre, homes, shops and a hotel on Temple Island are released by asset management firm Legal and General.

August 24, 2018

Cabinet papers recommend Mr Rees ditches plans for an arena on Temple Island and pushes forward with the proposed mixed use alternative.

September 3, 2018

Mr Rees supports the extraordinary full council motion which states the best place for an arena is Temple Island.

However, he claims ‘all things are not equal’ and the risks are too high for a city centre concert venue.

September 4, 2018

The Labour Mayor formally approves plans to scrap the arena on Temple Island and instead use the land to develop a conference centre, offices, a hotel, housing and shops.

September 20, 2018

Councillors from the Conservative and Liberal Democrat groups asked for Mr Rees’ decision to be looked at again – citing “failures in the decision making process” which they said needed to be addressed.

A special call-in committee met to review the decision, but the challenge was thrown out and the committee agreed to take no further action.

January 2019

YTL revealed more details about its plans for a 17,000 seat arena at the Brabazon hangars in Filton.

This included the name – YTL Arena Bristol – to honour Yeoh Tiong Lay the man who founded YTL in Malaysia back in 1955.

March 2019

Massive Attack performs two shows at Steel Yard, a custom-built venue on Filton Airfield with a capacity of 14,000.

Many saw the events as a test run for how the city would cope when tens of thousands of people tried to get to a concert on the edge of the city during rush hour.

April 2019

YTL announces its design team for the arena project.

Grimshaw Architects – the company who designed The Eden Project and Thermae Bath Spa – would be working in partnership with Manica Architecture.

Landscape architects Grant Associates and planning consultants Avison Young were appointed to the project to help support them through the planning process, as well as structural and technical engineers and specialist consultants.

July 2019

Bristol City Council’s cabinet agreed to continue discussions with Legal & General so an agreement regarding the Temple Island site can be reached.