Cabinet papers released by Bristol City Council on Friday, August 24, recommend Bristol Mayor, Marvin Rees, halts plans for an arena on Temple Island and “takes all steps necessary and incidental to the cessation of that project”.
Instead, council officers say the Labour Mayor should “work with partners to develop” a ‘mixed use’ alternative which may include a conference centre, offices, homes, shops and a hotel – similar to the plan put out by Legal and General earlier this week.
Of course the papers only provide a recommendation, and Mr Rees could theoretically change his mind. But this would be a highly unusual step and is unlikely.
With the city centre arena plans off the table, it is likely the Mayor will look to Malaysian investment firm YTL to keep the city’s hopes of a concert venue alive – albeit a stone’s throw from the South Gloucestershire border.
The papers
The cabinet papers echo the large hints Mr Rees has been dropping over the past few months and claim a mixed use development on the city centre land will provide more jobs and money for Bristol.
The report states: “It is recommended that the council resolves not to progress further with the proposed arena on Temple Island and to take all steps necessary and incidental to the cessation of that project.
“The council continues to work with partners to develop an alternative mixed use scheme for the Temple Island site, with a view to bringing a worked up proposals back to cabinet in due course.”
The report also recommends that a business case is developed to re-allocate £53m earmarked as public funding for the proposed arena to other targeted schemes in Bristol, including housing and transport infrastructure.
This funding is from the government’s Economic Development Fund and, if the cabinet approve the recommendations at the meeting, a business case would need to be submitted to the West of England Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) for approval.
The Labour Mayor has no powers to bring forward the YTL arena plans at this stage, but he may now choose to enter in to an exclusive six month ‘investigation period’ to see if the private company want to build the concert venue.
Mr Rees’ response
In a statement Mr Rees said: “We must make a decision which is evidence-based, set against clear criteria, for inclusive economic growth, jobs and homes, and on the best option which delivers for the future of the city centre. This cannot be a decision that serves political opportunism.
“These reports are critical to that process and lay out the facts for all to see. I’d like to thank everyone who has worked hard to support an engaging, informed debate and put real options on the table.
“The process to date has taken us from a completely undeliverable vanity project to having structured, affordable options which all have merits and put less pressure on the public purse. I look forward to discussing the issue in coming weeks and realising an economically-viable, inclusive and sustainable vision for Bristol city centre.”
What next?
The Mayor has encountered a lot of criticism from opposition councillors and members of his own party around the arena saga.
Many are lobbying him to keep the venue in the city centre and others have questioned his impartiality in the wake of the Bristol Live investigation which revealed the council had started talks with YTL six months before it has publicly admitted.
A cross party group of councillors has successfully managed to call an extraordinary full council meeting on Monday, September 3 – the day before Mr Rees is set to formally pass the papers.
The group is asking the Labour Mayor to use the results of a full council vote to make his decision.
Mr Rees has not responded to this request.
The Labour Mayor is expected to formally approve the cabinet paper at a meeting on Tuesday, September 4.