Another year has passed without Bristol being able to go to concerts at the planned new arena in Filton. First announced more than two decades ago, the long-running saga of Bristol’s arena rumbled on in 2024 as construction plans were delayed yet again.
The arena was initially planned for an empty plot of land near Temple Meads train station, south of the city centre. Arena Island remains empty today but remedial work has taken place, ahead of plans to build offices there by Legal and General, a financial services company.
Instead, the 19,000-capacity arena is now planned for old Brabazon aeroplane hangars on the northern edge of the city’s boundaries. These too remain empty and construction work has not yet begun to convert these hangars into a giant music venue.
Meanwhile, big musicians are missing Bristol out on their tours, but crossing over the bridge and playing in Cardiff’s Principality Stadium. Taylor Swift played there in June and Oasis are playing there in July next year; neither included a stop to Bristol in their tour.
The arena will be built and owned by YTL, a giant Malaysian company which also owns Wessex Water and is building a new housing estate next door. The housing estate is already under construction on the Filton Airfield, with a planned total of 6,500 homes.
Last February, YTL received planning permission from South Gloucestershire Council to more than double the number of homes on the airfield. The plans also include new schools, restaurants, cafes, parks, three hotels, student accommodation and a train station.
The airfield was closed in 2012, formerly owned by BAE Systems and then sold to YTL in 2015. Last March, YTL announced the construction schedule for the arena had been delayed, with a new opening date pushed back to 2027, although preparation and enabling work has begun.
The history of the arena stretches back to 2003, then with a planned capacity of 10,000. It was originally going to be built on the site next to Temple Meads of a former diesel depot, with the location chosen for its ease of access by foot or train.
The venue was initially due to open in 2008, but funding the construction quickly became an issue, with a row between Bristol City Council and developers over costs. Plans were abandoned in 2007 over concerns the project would “not be a good use of public money”.
But they were back on the table two years later in 2009, when architect and future mayor George Ferguson supported the Temple Meads location, while the council favoured a new site next to Bristol City’s Ashton Gate stadium. Mr Ferguson was elected mayor in 2012 and the Arena Island site was handed over to the council in 2015, paving the way for building to begin.
Then in 2016, Mr Ferguson lost the mayoral election to Labour’s Marvin Rees. A year later, the council was considering moving the location to Filton, after concerns over costs resurfaced.
At the time, Mr Rees said: “What we’re seeing with the cost is a challenge and we need to deal with it. I’ve asked our consultants KPMG to consider every avenue. This includes raising private investment, thinking about other sites and considering designs which could be delivered within budget. Nothing is off the table because one way or another this city is going to get an arena it can afford.”
Then in 2018, the row over its planned location erupted. The council admitted considering YTL’s offer to build the arena at Filton Airfield, but opposition councillors and thousands of petitioners urged the council to keep the location next to Temple Meads. Consultants published a value-for-money assessment, which claimed the costs had risen to £188.6 million.
Later in 2018, Legal and General revealed their plans for an alternative development, and Mr Rees formally approved the plans to scrap the Temple Meads location for the arena. In 2020, the council gave planning permission to YTL for their arena plans in Filton, and the firm said they would open the doors to the first gig-goers in 2023 — but even today, they’re still waiting.