The UK Government has announced a £4 billion investment by YTL businesses in the UK over the next five years, which will transform the greater Bristol area and deliver a state-of-the-art arena and over 30,000 jobs across the UK.
The announcement came as Malaysian Prime Minister Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim was in London recently to meet Prime Minister Keir Starmer and officially launch one of the largest brownfield developments in the UK.
Malaysian-owned YTL announced around £2 billion of the total investment will go towards the Brabazon Bristol development, which comprises 6,500 homes, three new schools and a 19,500-capacity arena, conferencing and exhibition space.
YTL is developing the site into a new town called Brabazon, and the iconic hangars, formerly home of the supersonic jet Concorde, will be turned into a major state-of-the-art arena, conferencing, and entertainment complex.
The arena is being built at the Brabazon Hangars, a group of three aircraft hangars in Filton, South Gloucestershire, England (UK), which were also used to construct the Bristol Type 167 Brabazon Airliner, which was intended to be the world’s largest civil airliner.
The hangars are now being converted into the YTL Arena Complex which will include the 19,500-capacity arena, a festival hall and a food and drink area. The arena will host a variety of events including music, comedy, sport, and theater.
According to YTL, the overall development will deliver more than 30,000 jobs, with the remaining £2 billion invested in YTL’s UK businesses over the next five years.
Business and Trade Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said, “This investment is incredible news for the UK and will create a generational transformation for North Bristol, delivering infrastructure, new schools and creating thousands of new homes and jobs in the region.
“By creating the right conditions and giving investors the confidence they need to make big investments in Britain, our Plan for Change is delivering economic growth and showing the power of investment to transform our cities, and give working people the security they deserve.”
In 2016, YTL Power acquired the disused Filton Airfield and associated Brabazon Hangars just north of Bristol.
This 380-acre site is the largest brownfield development site in the South West and one of the largest in the whole of the UK.
In November 2024, YTL obtained planning approval to deliver 6,500 homes, three schools, three hotels, 2,000 student beds, a retirement village, a new railway station and 60 acres of commercial development focused on high tech, aerospace and university facilities
Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves said: “This investment is what our Plan for Change is all about. Investment that will boost growth, create good jobs and shows that the UK is open for business.
“We will continue to go further and faster to kick start growth to make all parts of the country better off.”
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