Work has started on YTL Arena Bristol and it remains on track to open in 2024, it’s been confirmed.
Developer YTL says there are "numerous work-streams currently in flow" to support the Arena, including construction at Filton Airfield.
It comes after the Arena's Chief Executive said last year that work would start in 2022, following a delay caused by coronavirus.
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A spokesperson for YTL told Bristol Live: “There are numerous work-streams currently in flow for a major project of this scale, including several infrastructure packages of works on Filton Airfield that will support the Arena.”
According to traffic site One Network, work started on Monday (February 7) at the Airfield, now Brabazon Hangars, and is ongoing until November 11.
It says delays are ‘unlikely’ and won’t disrupt traffic on Gloucester Road North.
YTL has also confirmed that the Arena is still on track to open in 2024.
Proposals for an arena in Bristol were unveiled more than 18 years ago. Since then there have been numerous controversies, including when an initial plan for a Temple Island arena near Temple Meads was scrapped.
It was in 2020 that planning permission was granted for a stadium at the Brabazon Hangars.
YTL says the Arena will be the ‘number one live destination for the South West', with sustainability taking centre stage.
At 28,000m2, the floor space of the Brabazon Hangars - where the Concorde was built - is more than twice the size of a large football pitch.
YTL says the Arena will be arranged into three spaces:
Central Hangar: The 17,080 capacity, multi-purpose arena auditorium. It will be able to host live music shows, sporting events, family entertainment and comedy shows. On the ground floor there will be the Runway Bar, covering the entire width of the central hangar with capacity for 3,000 people
East Hangar: The Festival Hall. This will be a floor space for trade shows, exhibitions, conventions and other events
West Hangar: The Hub. This is where arena visitors will be able to "eat, work and play", YTL says. The 365-day a year venue will have room for leisure, food, drinks and workspace
It will create 580 new jobs and 15 apprenticeship roles, which YTL are currently hiring for.
They pledge to source at least '75 percent of products and services locally', with lounges, bars and restaurants across the Arena showcasing ‘all that is great about Bristol’.
It will be connected to Bristol city centre via a new train station as well as buses, and a dedicated Metrobus route linking the city centre to Cribbs Causeway.
Last month it was confirmed that YTL will pay for shuttle buses to get people to the Arena.
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