Steady progress on Bristol YTL Arena

Article posted by Coliseum, September 11^th, 2024

Image: YTL Arena and McGregor Coxall

The developers of the YTL Arena in Bristol are making good progress in preparation for building work to begin, although not start date has yet been finalized.

The BBC said YTL Construction UK is still preparing the Brabazon Hangars, once home of Concorde, to make way for an ‘entertainment and cultural hub.’

The YTL Arena Bristol is a proposed 19,000-capacity indoor arena to be located at the former Filton Airfield’s Brabazon Hangars in Bristol, England (UK).

The new venue was originally planned for the city centre near Temple Meads railway station, but that idea was scrapped by Bristol mayor Marvin Rees because of the risk to the taxpayer.

YTL Construction UK is responsible for transforming the historic Brabazon Hangars into the premier music venue for Bristol and the South West, and the fourth largest indoor arena in the United Kingdom.

The latest update means YTL Arena Bristol will not be staging concerts until 2027 at the earliest, with construction due to take around two-and-a-half years to complete.

Developers say they are still in the ‘enabling works’ phase of the project, following an update on its progress in March. Major infrastructure work is also ongoing.

The initial phase has seen decontamination carried out by Omega Environmental Services, which will be followed by the demolition of non-essential structures.

In its latest update, Andrew Billingham, CEO of YTL Arena Bristol, said: “We’re pleased with the progress and are pushing forward, albeit slower than originally planned.

“We have tackled challenges head-on making crucial decisions to expedite the opening while ensuring we deliver one of the premier arenas in Europe.

“Once main construction has started, we estimate it being a two-and-a-half-year build programme.”

Plans have also been submitted to Bristol City Council for an outdoor cinema which would be replaced in the winter by an ice rink.

There will also be badminton courts, a tennis court, a multi-use games area for sports such as basketball and five-a-side football, and a pump track for cycling.

The arena will be 100 percent electric, making it one of the first venues in the United Kingdom to operate without the use of fossil fuels.

The venue bosses say the arena will provide 500 jobs, increase overnight stays in the City of Bristol by more than 300,000 and boost the region’s tourism economy by £60m a year.

Continue to follow Coliseum for latest updates on venues business news. Coliseum is dedicated towards building the best global community of sports and entertainment venue executives and professionals creating better and more profitable venues.

Become a member of the only Global Sports Venue Alliance and connect with stadiums, arenas and experts from around the world. Apply for membership at www.coliseum-online.com/alliance and make use of the 365Coliseum Business.