Your say / Bristol Arena
‘If we choose to build Bristol Arena in Filton we will achieve nothing’
Last year I took my daughter to see Mrs Brown’s Boys at Cardiff Arena. She loved it. We arrived early, took a wander around the city centre, did some shopping, bought a meal and then went to the show. We spent a wonderful evening together and were home in Bristol by midnight.
I want people to come to a Bristol arena and have the same experience. I want the shopkeepers to benefit, I want the people of Bristol to have great entertainment and culture on their doorstep and I want to be able to get to it easily.
Despite all the headlines, the KPMG value for money report says that we can have the arena at Temple Meads and it could be open in three years! Here’s why:
is needed now More than ever
The overall cost to you and me (the taxpayer) is limited whichever proposal is agreed. Fundamentally, KPMG say “the project income will still meet the costs of the project in every year of operation… with a surplus over the life of the project”. £53m towards the arena is coming from the Local Enterprise Partnership and would need to be spent on the infrastructure in Filton if YTL are to build the arena there. The report also notes that in order to make the potential mixed use development at Temple Meads viable, the £25m set aside for the arena would still need to be invested. It’s all taxpayers money in the end so let’s spend it properly.
The value for money report states the cultural impact will “keep Bristol as a leading cultural city” and states that “public sector investment in the project would create wider benefits beyond those realised by private developers”. The Filton option “will have more limited scope to achieve the wider Council objectives for Bristol”. This means jobs in south Bristol and communities like Barton Hill, Lawrence Hill and St Paul’s. It also means better air quality as it will be easier to get to by public transport. Value is more than value for money but value for our city.
I fear that if we choose to build the arena in Filton we will achieve nothing. The project will be bogged down in reports, plans and funding problems that will leave Temple Meads with an empty space for another 10 years. The report notes that YTL investment is “driven by a broader desire to grow its UK property development business”. Can we trust the future of our city to the whim of a developer?
We are in danger of swapping a shovel-ready project for ideas that are little more than words on paper.
Ultimately the report says “there is a strong economic case for the arena at Temple Island”. It is not an economic dead-weight but a project that will breathe new life into Bristol and mean Bristolians and visitors alike can enjoy everything that Bristol has to offer.
Sandy Hore-Ruthven lives in Brislington and is a community activist
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