After detailed scrutiny of the reports presented to them, 10 of the 11 members of Bristol City Council’s overview and scrutiny management (OSM) board concluded that Bristol’s arena should be built on arena island at Temple Meads. The committee comprises 6 Labour councillors, 2 Green, 2 Conservative and 1 Liberal Democrat. Mayor Marvin Rees is expected to formally announce his decision at the next cabinet meeting on Tuesday 3rd July. The written summary of the OSM conclusions is presented below, with a link to the full document.
REPORT OF THE OSM BOARD TO CABINET RE THE ARENA VALUE FOR MONEY STUDY OUTCOMES
- KEY CONCLUSIONS AND COMMENTS TO CABINET AS SUMMARISED BY THE CHAIR, COUNCILLOR GOLLOP
There appears to be a fair degree of consensus amongst members and across parties. We see that the proposed Arena at Temple Meads is a fully developed project that is ready to start, and that the alternative proposal is very much at its early stages.
We see that KPMG indicate that the potential benefits are greater from the alternative site and alternative use for Arena Island, but KPMG also state that the risks attached to the alternative projects have not been quantified and that has to be considered by the Mayor in making his decision.
We sense that officers favour the Filton proposal. Whilst we understand that in that scenario YTL take the project risk, Members also see that they (YTL) are the main beneficiary of the significant infrastructure investment.
It is the considered view of OSM members that;
- The existing Arena figures are cautious
- The Brabazon Arena figures are optimistic
- Insufficient attention had been paid to social value in concentrating purely on value for money
- Environmental impact has been ignored in terms of the Filton proposal
- An arena for all of Bristol requires accessibility for all and that case is not proven at Filton
- The Arena Island proposal is close to being “shovel ready”
- The needs for planning, traffic planning and infrastructure at Filton mean the time line is much longer than the Temple Meads proposal
- It is disappointing that the only invitee who did not accept our invitation is the Mayor of Bristol. I urge the Mayor to meet with the OSM party leads to discuss our report before concluding his decision
- The sale of the land for the university campus at Temple Meads has damaged the economic case for the Arena. The site is now smaller and there is reduced opportunity to boost the economy of the area, part of which forms one of Bristol’s most deprived wards.
- Members were encouraged by YTL’s vision for the Filton site, however, there were many details still to be confirmed as the scheme is only at an outline stage. In particular the major caveats in relation to planning permission (the sequential test) and the delivery of essential transport infrastructure.
- The delayed publication of Value for Money reports created unnecessary pressures on officers and scrutiny to complete their work
- There is little or no time for the Mayor to take note of the views of scrutiny before his decision is published on Monday
Members are finding it hard to understand how the Filton project with so much uncertainty can be compared with the detailed information available at Temple Meads and are concerned that choosing Filton will delay the arena for many more years (and risk that it could be stopped by YTL at any time with no ability to influence by the City Council).
One of the biggest concerns from Members was the imminent planning decision on Cribbs Causeway. Members are concerned that relocating the arena to Filton could signal the demise of Broadmead for retail and leisure and the transfer of trade to South Gloucestershire.
Whilst not a unanimous view, 10 out of 11 Members of the Board agreed on the substantive issue that Arena Island is the only viable option for Bristol’s arena.
In conclusion I quote from the last paragraph of KPMG’s 3rd Report
- ‘There is considerable difference in the stage of development of the plans for the propositions and the details on which the assessments are based. In comparison to the Filton Arena development, the Temple Island Arena is a well-developed project and as a result could be considered, at this point in time, to be more deliverable.’