Looking out to the 26-year-old Red Dragon Centre retail complex in Cardiff, it is almost difficult to imagine the shiny new indoor arena which is planned to take its place. The 17,000 capacity arena, which is part of a wider plan to develop Atlantic Wharf in Butetown alongside flats, hotels, offices and shops, is seen as a missing link in Cardiff's venue-space offering.
However, the plans are also looked at with a degree of scepticism by some, who see the project as something which could become ever more difficult to deliver after the projected cost of the arena grew by about £100 million. The cost of building the indoor arena is now expected to be £280 million. In a more recent update, Cardiff Council also revealed that construction on the site is now anticipated to commence in January 2024.
It was previously reported that the arena was expected to open in 2025. It is now difficult to imagine it being open any time earlier than 2026. Only two weeks ago, the Liberal Democrats group at Cardiff Council and four Conservative councillors called on the authority to shelve its plans for the arena amid its own growing financial pressures.
