News / YTL Arena Bristol
Construction of Bristol’s long-awaited arena set to begin
The group behind the much-delayed music venue planned for Bristol said work is now finally ready to begin.
“We are making great progress,” said Andrew Billingham, chief executive of YTL Arena, which is being created inside the Brabazon hangars on the edge of the former Filton airfield.
In an update, the Malaysia-owned company stated that the demolition stage of the project is now complete, and the 20,000-capacity venue is ready for construction.
When finished, venue bosses say the flagship arena complex next to the city’s border with South Gloucestershire promises to “put Bristol on the world stage”.
YTL promised the project “continues to remain on schedule”, despite initially stating that the arena could be open by 2022.
New photos shared by YTL show the extent of the huge project on the outskirts of Bristol – photo: YTL
Work so far has seen the hangar stripped back to its 1940s steel frame, its Esavian doors that slide open for aircrafts removed, and outer buildings demolished to “make way for the next stage of the development”.
There are already plans for a footbridge to connect the arena to the new town known as Brabazon, which will have 6,500 homes.
John Thompson, CEO of YTL Construction UK, said: “Demolishing parts of the hangar has been a delicate operation, as we know how important it is to preserve its structure both for its legacy as the birthplace of Concorde and its bright new future.
“The project team and I are delighted to be delivering this exciting new venue, which promises to put Bristol on the world stage.”
Billingham added: “To see the hangar stripped back to its original structure is both a striking reminder of its long history and a powerful signal of its future as a world-class arena.
“Every stage of dismantling brings us closer to welcoming A-list artists and their fans through the doors.”
The long-promised arena is dubbed as “a world class entertainment complex with a state-of-the-art arena” – image: YTL
It has been seven years since plans for a city centre area were scrapped and replaced by YTL’s proposal to retrofit the Brabazon hangars at the edge of the city.
Original plans suggested it would be able to hold 17,000 fans, with that later increased to 19,000, and now it will be 20,000.
No estimated opening date for the venue has been shared, but the YTL website states that this will be announced “once the site enabling and demolition phase of work has been completed”.
Meanwhile, the brand-new station, North Filton, which will transport concert-goers to the venue, is set to open as an unstaffed station in late 2026; however, it is expected to be expanded later when the arena nears completion.
Main photo: YTL
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