Bristol Beacon redevelopment costs more than double to £107m

The spiralling costs of refurbishing the building formerly known as the Colston Hall are so great that options have been considered to immediately abandon the project.

Another option of making the building watertight and then stopping the refurbishment works has also been considered, but “reviews indicate significant costs and liabilities as a result of contract termination”.

The revelation comes as the money needed to refurbish the Bristol Beacon has risen to £106.9m, more than double the original £48.8m budget – with a current funding gap on the project of £44.5m.

The venue, which is owned by Bristol City Council but run by the independent Bristol Music Trust, will now also not be reopening until October 2023 at the earliest, with building work originally due to be completed by September 2020.

After originally allocating £15m to the refurbishment of the building, the city council is now being asked for almost £60m to pay for the work carried out by Willmott Dixon.

A paper due to be considered by cabinet on March 9 says that there have been “significant slippages” as the project “had encountered significant issues, delays and suffered from large size difficulties and cost overrun since last project approval, which had been exacerbated by the ongoing pandemic”.

If the funding gap of £44.5m were to be funded by Bristol City Council, the total amount given by the council to the project would rise to £59.5m, an increase of 300 per cent from their original contribution.

Bristol Music Trust would also continue to raise funds, with money previously given to the refurbishment from the likes of central government, WECA, Arts Council England and private donations.

In the original fundraising target from 2017, naming rights to the venue were costed at £3.3m – but this has now been reduced to £1.8m with the name not being handed to a corporate sponsor.

The report going to cabinet says that “there are still areas of uncertainties where the risks would remain with the council” including the long-term economic impacts of the coronavirus pandemic.

Four of the six “risk considerations” are heavily redacted in the document, however, meaning that the public are unable to see these further risks.

Marvin Rees and Bristol Music Trust chief executive Louise Mitchell at the unveiling of the Bristol Beacon name – photo: Bristol Music Trust

In a statement, Bristol mayor Marvin Rees called the Bristol Beacon “an iconic city centre venue”.

He said: “Its unique cultural, economic and social value to Bristol means that pausing or abandoning the project would be an irretrievable loss to the city, its arts and culture organisations and citizens.

“We now know what secrets the building holds, and while this has meant a higher than expected cost to modernise and re-open the venue, our commitment to Bristol Beacon is so strong that investment remains the best financial and strategic option for the city.

“We now have a detailed, resourced plan that gives certainty for when Bristol Beacon will reopen its doors providing musicians, artists and cultural organisations from Bristol and beyond with a world class venue to perform in, and brings economic benefits by stimulating Bristol’s night time economy and attracting visitors to the city.”

The Bristol Beacon is now not due to reopen until October 2023 – photo: Martin Booth

A Bristol Music Trust spokesperson said: “The Cabinet report is part of the city council’s decision-making process and responsibility as owners of the Bristol Beacon building.

“Our focus at this time remains on continuing to find ways to bring music experiences and education to the people and communities across Bristol and planning for the safe return of live events later this year.

“Whilst the timescale for completion of the project and re-opening of the building set out in the Cabinet report are longer than we’d hoped for, if the recommendations are approved at the Cabinet meeting next week, this gives us assurance that we have a date that we can all work to with confidence.”

Work was meant to finish on site in September 2020 – photo: Martin Booth

In a statement, Willmott Dixon said: “Willmott Dixon has a strong relationship with Bristol City Council as it transforms the Bristol Beacon into a world-class venue that will be a major contributor of future economic growth in Bristol and the local economy.

“The refurbishment of this historic Victorian-era Grade 2 listed building is extremely complex, with a number of well documented hidden issues that have only become apparent to Willmott Dixon and the council as work has progressed.

“Willmott Dixon has worked with the council in an open, clear and transparent way to discuss and agree the right course of action to remedy the numerous issues that have emerged as the various structural layers have been removed.

“The site team are happy that the right solutions have been implemented to ensure the Bristol Beacon is a high quality, fit for purpose and world-renown facility that will be a popular destination over many decades for generations of Bristolians.”

Main photo: Martin Booth

Read more: Row over spiralling cost of Bristol Beacon refurbishment