News / Bristol Arena
Potential conflicts of interest raised over city council’s arena consultant
The city council consultant who advised Bristol’s cabinet to scrap plans for an arena at Temple Island was previously employed to work on development of the former Filton Airfield site owned by YTL, the Malaysian firm who own Brabazon Hangars – the only other realistic site for Bristol Arena if it is not built in the city centre.
Nigel Greenhalgh (pictured above), director of elev8, a Redland-based company “specialising in the strategic development and delivery of major projects”, was one of two authors of a report to cabinet prior to its meeting in September.
The arena update to cabinet by the council’s arena project director Stuart Woods and arena consultant Greenhalgh recommends that the cabinet “take all steps necessary and incidental to the cessation of” the arena project on Temple Island.
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elev8 was previously employed by the Cribbs Patchway New Neighbourhood (CPNN) on the “strategic development of the new neighbourhood and co-ordination of the parties in both public and private sectors”.
CPNN, which has already got the nickname of Filton Keynes, will develop over the next 10 to 15 years to contain approximately 5,700 homes, around 50 hectares of employment land, open spaces, schools and community facilities.
YTL call themselves a “key player” in the CPNN, with their own plan to transform the 350-acre former Filton Airfield into a new mixed-use district of 2,675 homes and 62 acres of employment space, together with a new town centre, public park, primary schools, secondary school and railway station.
YTL have also offered to build an arena within the Brabazon Hangars – which they own – if an arena is not built at Temple Island.
The area covered by the Cribbs Patchway New Neighbourhood (CPNN) – map courtesy of YTL
Two of elev8’s current clients, Deeley Freed Estates and Taylor Wimpey, own green belt land at Cribbs Causeway on which they hope to build homes.
Members of Bristol City Council’s scrutiny committee expressed concern in July that relocating the arena to Filton could signal the demise of Broadmead for retail and leisure and the transfer of trade to South Gloucestershire.
Scrutiny councillors also noted that as part of the CPNN there are plans to expand The Mall at Cribbs Causeway, reminding cabinet members that the city council has previously challenged this proposed expansion of Cribbs on the basis that it would cause “irreparable damage to our own city centre shopping district (Cabot Circus and Broadmead)”.
KPMG, authors of the value for money report commissioned by Bristol mayor Marvin Rees, until recently acted as auditor to YTL Group in the UK.
When asked about Greenhalgh’s potential conflicts of interest, a Bristol City Council spokesperson said: “Elev8 is an experienced project management and consultancy firm which has helped to deliver a wide range of large scale projects, lots of them based around the West of England area.
“Nigel’s experience in project delivery has helped bring invaluable real-world advice on the issue of land use at Temple Island, the decision about which rests with the council’s Cabinet, not our officers or consultants.”
Greenhalgh did not respond to Bristol24/7’s requests for a comment.
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