Cardiff Council’s Cabinet has announced plans to go to tender for a developer that will build and operate a new 15,000-seat arena in Cardiff Bay.
A final business case for the arena is set to be presented at the end of the year and the council revealed that planning consent could be achieved by 2020. With this in mind, the venue could be open as soon as December 2023.
Cabinet Member for Investment and Development Russell Goodway said: “We want to re-energise Cardiff Bay, boosting its profile as a leisure-based destination. A new multi-purpose arena can help us achieve that, bringing a major new attraction for residents and visitors to enjoy.”
Goodway added: “Now that the preliminary due diligence and market testing has been completed, we are ready to begin the formal process of securing a delivery partner.”
Further plans for the £500m (€556m/$627m) mixed-use development on which the arena would sit were revealed in March this year. The 30-acre development would include 200,000 square feet of retail space, 50,000 square feet of restaurants and bars, 45,000 square feet of leisure space and 40,000 square feet of office space, as well as a cinema complex, 350-bedroom hotel, a 2,000-space multi-storey car park and waterfront apartments.
The council granted permission for detailed design works to commence on a new indoor arena back in November. Events promoter and venue operator Live Nation has previously been linked to the project.
The new arena would complement Cardiff’s 5,000-seat Motorpoint Arena and the 74,000-capacity Principality Stadium.
Image: Visit Cardiff
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