Featured image credit: YTL Arena Bristol
YTL Arena Bristol is now not expected to open until 2027 at the earliest as enabling works continue at the former Filton Airfield site.
The latest tentative timeline for the project to deliver a 19,000-capacity arena, plus wider entertainment and cultural offerings, comes with developers telling the BBC that while they are making good progress they cannot set a date for when building work will begin.
YTL Construction UK is still preparing the Brabazon Hangars at the site, with developers stating they are still in the enabling works phase of the project. “We are also on the runway and surrounding area completing major infrastructure to support the arena,” a spokesperson said.
An array of outdoor attractions were revealed in May aiming to make YTL Arena a “cultural hub”, following the submission of final detailed plans for the new venue in the English city. In addition to the arena, artist’s impressions included large public squares in front of the refurbished Brabazon Hangars with the likes of an outdoor cinema, sports courts and a Christmas ice rink being planned.
Renderings detailed an east and a west square directly outside new conference and exhibition halls which flank the main central concert seating bowl. Also included in the complex will be badminton courts, a tennis court, a multi-use games area for sports such as basketball and five-a-side football, and a pump track for cycling.
Preparation works commenced in March on the transformation of the Brabazon Hangars into a live entertainment complex that will be anchored by YTL Arena. The project has faced several delays and in January 2023 the opening date for the arena was pushed back until late 2025 or early 2026.
Speaking in March, Andrew Billingham, chief executive of YTL Arena Bristol, said that once main construction has started, a two-and-a-half-year build programme is estimated.
Once completed, YTL Arena will be the fourth largest indoor arena in the UK, behind Manchester’s Co-op Live and AO Arena, and The O2 in London.
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