South Gloucestershire Green Party have condemned the decision of Bristol’s Mayor, Marvin Rees, to rule out the Temple Meads site for the proposed Bristol arena.
The move effectively gives the green light to the Brabazon site at Filton, where they say it will create even more transport chaos despite further gridlock already being on the horizon following the scrapping of the Severn Bridge tolls.
Spokesperson Joseph Evans said, “We’ve all experienced the massive transport problems the north Bristol fringe is suffering from, with jams causing havoc, affecting all modes of transport and contributing towards dangerous levels of local air pollution. Given the strong public demand for the Temple Meads site and Bristol’s councillors voting fifty to nothing for the city centre option, this also throws local democracy into question.”
The Greens are also concerned that the Filton development is purely speculative and the developers could withdraw or change their offer at any time, leaving Bristol yet again without an arena.
Joseph added, “The Bristol arena has been fifteen years in the making and was planned meticulously to take advantage of the proximity of the railway station and bus networks to get people quickly, sustainably and efficiently to and from the venue.”
“We have a bolder vision for the Filton site – with the political will, the Brabazon Hangars could once again be put to use as a centre for industrial innovation, surrounded by a mixed community of genuinely affordable homes to help meet demand in the region. Needless to say, we will be lobbying South Gloucestershire Council to oppose the current plans.” YTL, the Malaysian company that put the bid in for the site, say the arena could be open by 2022.
