Bristol Arena
| Bristol Arena | |
|---|---|
 Artist's impression of the proposed Bristol Arena |
|
| Location | Bath Road Bristol |
| Coordinates | 51°26′47″N 2°34′42″W / 51.446358°N 2.578288°W |
Bristol Arena is an oft-mooted indoor arena in Bristol. From the summer of 2013, Bristol will become the largest city in the United Kingdom without a large arena style venue when the First Direct Arena opens in Leeds, West Yorkshire. Currently, Bristol's two largest music venues are the Colston Hall and the O2 Academy which can both hold around 2,000 people.
History[edit]
Plans for Bristol Arena were originally announced in March 2003. The arena, to be built next to Bristol's largest railway station Temple Meads, was to have 10,000 seats and host music concerts as well as sports and conferences and was originally planned to open by 2008 to coincide with the city's bid to be European Capital of Culture.[1] By June 2007, work had yet to begin on the arena despite around £13m having been spent purchasing and clearing the site[2] and by the end of the year, the plans were abandoned after developers announced that £40m of public sector money would've been required to fund the arena in addition to the £46m that had already been committed by Bristol City Council and the South West of England Regional Development Agency.[3]
By 2009, plans for Bristol Arena were back on the agenda with two plans put forward. One was a similar plan to the previous plans for the site next to Temple Meads supported by future mayor George Ferguson.[4] The other, supported by Bristol City Council, was to build an arena next to Bristol City's proposed stadium at Ashton Vale.[5] A number of legal challenges to Bristol City's proposed stadium meant that in 2012, Bristol City Council were again considering plans for an arena on the originally preferred site next to Temple Meads.[6]
Having been elected mayor, architect George Ferguson launched a competition to find the best design for a 12,000 seater 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.[7] This was followed by a bid to win £80m from the government's Regional Growth Fund to part fund the project and pay for renovations at the Colston Hall.[8]
References[edit]
- ^ "City's 10,000-seater stadium plan". BBC News. 2003-03-12. Retrieved 2013-05-10.
- ^ "Cash fears over city arena scheme". BBC News. 2007-06-06. Retrieved 2013-05-10.
- ^ "Bristol's arena plan is abandoned". BBC News. 2007-12-13. Retrieved 2013-05-10.
- ^ "George Ferguson wants Bristol arena at Temple Meads". ThisIsBristol. 2009-11-12. Retrieved 2013-05-10.
- ^ "Arena planners in competing bids". BBC News. 2009-11-10. Retrieved 2013-05-10.
- ^ "Arena plan for Bristol back on drawing board". BBC News. 2012-03-27. Retrieved 2013-05-10.
- ^ "Mayor launches competition to find best design for indoor arena". ThisIsBristol. 2013-01-23. Retrieved 2013-05-10.
- ^ "Bid for £80 million towards Bristol arena". ThisIsBristol. 2013-04-22. Retrieved 2013-05-10.
