New Bristol arena 'could have larger capacity of 20,000'
Plans for the arena in Filton were first announced in 2018, with it set to be the centre point of the Brabazon development, which will also include 6,500 homes.The huge scheme has been much delayed, with the developers - Malaysian-owned YTL - initially saying it could be open by 2022.The expected opening has already been pushed back by six years, and the idea to increase capacity will now require new planning permission from South Gloucestershire Council.
Andrew Billingham, Chief Executive of YTL Arena, said: "We want to attract the biggest artists and events to Bristol, so increasing the capacity to 20,000 is really important to us."We'll achieved this by maximising the size of the floor of what will be our standing area, where concertgoers will be stood on the very same concrete where Concorde was built."The Filton arena was promoted as a more affordable alternative to a previously council-backed scheme next to Bristol Temple Meads railway station.That was first proposed in 2003, but building work never started, and while the plan was resurrected in the 2010s, former city mayor Marvin Rees scrapped the plan.While construction is yet to begin on the Filton arena, work on a railway station to bring concert-goers to the venue is under way.The brand new station, North Filton, is set open as an unstaffed station in late 2026, though this is set to be enlarged later when the arena nears completion.Elsewhere, hundreds of people have already bought and moved into new homes as part of the development, and there are plans for schools, student accommodation and sports facilities.
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