Your say / Bristol Arena
‘This is an instance where Bristol may be able to have its cake and eat it too’
We are all still waiting with baited breath for the arena decision that has now been pushed back to September.
Three party leaders recently wrote to mayor Marvin Rees to ask what criteria he was going to use to make a decision on the location of the arena, but received a reply that gave little clue to the basis of this important decision.
What was clear from his recent statements, and the KPMG report he commissioned, is that another option is being considered for the Arena Island site – a ‘mixed use’ development of office space, retail, housing and a convention centre.
is needed now More than ever
All important things that the city needs – but all things that can be provided by the private sector in other parts of the city centre. And all things that do not need subsidy from the public purse. If we chose this option for Arena Island then the public purse will subsidise a potentially private sector development to the tune of £26m.
Redcliff Quarter, Wapping Wharf, Old Market, Finzels Reach, St Philip’s Marsh, Temple Quarter: there is no shortage of places where developments of this kind are happening, planned, or could happen in the future.
Sandy argues the private sector is already providing mixed-use developments, such as Wapping Wharf.
The private sector is good at doing this kind of thing. They have the money, can invest in the infrastructure and will run these projects without the need for subsidy from the council.
This means that the economic and employment benefits set out in the KPMG report can all still be achieved. More jobs, economic growth and more housing are all possible alongside a city centre arena.
To be forced into a choice between the two is a false one.
Remarkably, this is an instance where Bristol may be able to have its cake and eat it too. With council investment, we can have a city centre arena, for all Bristolians, easy to reach from the north and the south of the city and which will pay for itself and leave the city with a valuable asset.
In addition, we can still have a wide range of mixed-use developments across and around the centre, and the jobs, new housing and economic benefits those provide.
A rare thing that should not be dismissed lightly when the arena could be built and open within two years from now.
Sandy Hore-Ruthven is deputy coordinator for Bristol Green Party.
Read more: Does Bristol even need an arena?
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