黑洞社区

This month, Bristol鈥檚 Labour mayor Marvin Rees made the decision to scrap the planned Populous-designed city centre arena amid local controversy surrounding an expenses-paid overseas trip with the plans鈥� commercial rivals. 

Rees says the 拢156m scheme, pushed by his independent predecessor in the role, former RIBA president George Ferguson, had to be scrapped given rising costs, big risks and the huge public sector financial commitment involved. But opponents say the move, which potentially clears the way for a largely privately funded arena to proceed on the northern fringe of the city, is a huge potential blow to the centre鈥檚 regeneration efforts. 

鈥淭o put in more luxury apartments, offices and a 鈥榖lind鈥� conference centre with no public engagement is a waste of a great site鈥�

Rob Gregory, Purcell

Rob Gregory, associate at the Bristol office of architect Purcell, which is not directly involved in the schemes, says: 鈥淚t鈥檚 really disappointing and a missed opportunity. It feels like we鈥檒l have had eight years of a mayor in this city and it has added up to nothing.鈥�

The creation of an elected city mayor in 2012 was supposed to allow the city 鈥� the most economically successful UK 鈥渃ore city鈥� outside London, but with a reputation for being a difficult place to get planning 鈥� to make the big choices necessary for it to fulfil its potential. Undoubtedly, this month鈥檚 decision was a blow for the scheme鈥檚 architect Populous, fellow designer Feilden Clegg Bradley and project contractor Buckingham Group. But already proposals by developer YTL for a much bigger arena four miles north in the suburb of Filton are surging ahead, while developer Legal & General (L&G) has proposed a 拢300m, 100,000m2 commercial scheme on the former arena site in the centre of the city. So, what has happened, and what does it say about the effectiveness of mayors in getting projects delivered 鈥� and Bristol鈥檚 big city ambitions?

 

鈥楬uge gamble鈥�

Bristol is the only UK core city without a purpose-built arena, with residents forced to travel to Cardiff and Birmingham for major gigs. Plans to address this deficit were first mooted in 2003 with a site, Temple Island, purchased by the council next to the city鈥檚 main station. After one false start, the plans were turbo-charged with the election of architect Ferguson in 2012 on a promise to get it built. Despite costs rising above the 拢91m budget, Ferguson now says he came within a hair鈥檚 breadth of signing contracts with contractor Bouygues to build the 12,000-capacity venue. 

But with Ferguson voted out in 2016 and costs still going up, incoming mayor Rees 鈥� who had also made an election pledge to deliver the arena 鈥� parted ways with Bouygues and instead pressed on with the scheme with Buckingham Group under a pre-construction services agreement.

鈥淸The mayor] has made up his mind on this against the advice of the council. He doesn鈥檛 understand how cities tick鈥�

George Ferguson, former mayor

At the same time, deepening central government funding cuts were taking their toll. The council claims funding reductions have left the city with a 拢108m budget shortfall between 2018 and 2023, making the 拢104m public sector contribution for the arena a large commitment to swallow. So despite his election commitment, Rees decided in summer 2017 to appoint KPMG to review it. The process finally concluded this month, with the council cabinet voting on 4 September to terminate the scheme and instead pursue L&G鈥檚 proposal for housing, a conference centre and offices on the Temple Island site.

Rees says this was the only responsible choice. KPMG reported that L&G鈥檚 scheme, albeit not yet fully developed, was likely to generate three times the economic value for the city, and three times as many jobs, without the risks associated with the arena. 

Rees told 黑洞社区: 鈥淭he question we鈥檙e dealing with is what鈥檚 the best use for Temple Island, that鈥檚 what people keep missing. We鈥檙e not choosing where to build the arena,鈥� adding that Bristol council would be left with a huge further cost if the stadium didn鈥檛 succeed commercially and the selected operator 鈥� Arena Island Ltd, run by SMG and Live Nation 鈥� walked away. 

鈥淭he arena can only go ahead [on Temple Island] if the city council goes ahead and takes out 拢150m of debt and builds it. My question is what is your appetite for risk [鈥�] in a time when music venues are difficult to make stack up generally, in a retail crisis and a potential economic slump, with Mark Carney saying house prices could drop by a third. At some point someone has to stand up and say this is a huge gamble. You can鈥檛 run a city on crossed fingers,鈥� says Rees.

Rees also rejects any suggestion this decision betrayed a lack of confidence in the city. 鈥淭he Filton development is a bigger proposition, and now we鈥檝e got two private sector developers competing together to build an arena. Why鈥檚 it a lack of confidence?鈥� he says, adding that the letter of support for the decision from Homes England chair Sir Edward Lister proves his decision made the city more investable.

From Rees鈥� perspective, cancelling the arena both allows L&G鈥檚 commercial scheme to deliver a 拢500m bigger boost to the city鈥檚 economy than that offered by the city centre arena, while YTL鈥檚 plan at Filton solves the venue deficit. YTL arena project lead Andrew Billingham says the Malaysian developer, which also owns Wessex Water, is 鈥渁bsolutely committed鈥� to a fully privately funded 16,000-capacity arena within the historic Brabazon aircraft hangar as part of its broader 2,500-home scheme. 鈥淣ow we鈥檝e got a positive decision, we鈥檙e absolutely cracking on,鈥� he says.

鈥楻eally sad鈥�

Despite all this, on 3 September city councillors voted overwhelmingly in favour of a motion saying Temple Island should be the location for the arena, and local newspapers report strong public support for the original scheme, which also has the backing of local music royalty in Massive Attack鈥檚 Robert Del Naja. 

Purcell鈥檚 Gregory says to replace the arena plan with the commercial scheme would be a real blow for placemaking in the city. 鈥淭o put in more luxury apartments, offices and a 鈥榖lind鈥� conference centre with no public engagement is a waste of a great site,鈥� he says. 鈥淭he arena is a public space in the way a conference centre 鈥� always booked out 鈥� just isn鈥檛.

鈥淚t鈥檚 really sad. The whole thing should be about creating liveable, walkable cities. If you stick loads of private space on that site, creating [public use] is much more challenged,鈥� he added.

L&G declined to comment but in a statement in August said its proposal 鈥渨ould provide significant  transformational benefits to the city of Bristol鈥�.

Former mayor Ferguson is unsurprisingly incensed by the move, which he described as 鈥渦tter madness鈥�, pointing out that the YTL alternative arena relies on significant public infrastructure funding to go ahead 鈥� meaning it is not a totally free option. 鈥淭he cost of the arena hasn鈥檛 risen to anything like the level alleged, and it鈥檚 well within the ability of the city to make money, and is justified in investment terms,鈥� he says. 

鈥淎n arena revitalises the city centre, the high streets. If you intensify the uses you help support those areas that are threatened. If you鈥檙e going to a shed on the edge of the city, people鈥檚 natural instinct will be to go by car.鈥�

A third way?

Some spy a possible third way. In recent weeks, Bristol property developer Stephen Fear has been acting alongside Live Aid-music entrepreneur Harvey Goldsmith to represent a US investor 鈥� understood to be Oak View Group, which has a stake in New York鈥檚 Madison Square Garden. Fear says it is considering privately funding the existing Temple Island scheme (see 鈥�Temple Island 鈥� the third way?鈥�, below). So far, however, the council remains unmoved. 

Fear says an arena at Filton will damage the centre. 鈥淚 think it will damage the core of Bristol. The northern fringe is being developed at the cost of the rest,鈥� he says.

Other critics have taken exception to the 拢300m high-rise replacement L&G scheme, designed by Zaha Hadid Architects, within Bristol鈥檚 largely low-rise cityscape. Ferguson described it as 鈥渢otally alien to Bristol鈥�. 鈥淚t鈥檚 an illusion to think tall buildings make great cities 鈥� you need great streets,鈥� he says.

Furthermore, Rees鈥� critics dispute many of the figures cited in the KPMG report, and allege he has not given alternative proposals equal consideration. Critics also point to the mayor鈥檚 admission that he has had three expenses-paid meetings with Filton developer YTL over the last year, including a flights-paid trip to Malaysia. Meanwhile, arena operator Arena Island complained in the media of not being able to get a meeting with Rees to discuss its improved financial offer. 

No question

Fear, likewise, has complained of a lack of engagement from the council with the approach he is brokering from the US investor Oak View Group (see 鈥淭emple Island 鈥� the third way?鈥�, right). Fear says: 鈥淭here鈥檚 no question he鈥檚 favoured the YTL scheme. I just want him to hear the alternative.鈥�

While Ferguson is careful not to allege actual improper behaviour by Rees, he says: 鈥淗e鈥檚 made up his mind on this against the advice of the council. He doesn鈥檛 understand how cities tick.鈥� The council鈥檚 scrutiny committee threatened to 鈥渃all in鈥� the decision, citing 18 ways in which it alleged Rees ignored proper council procedures in scrapping the project. 

However, last week, the committee backed down from forcing Rees to reconsider. 

When asked about the allegations of possible impartiality, Rees told 黑洞社区 his thinking was based on commercial viability and rejected any suggestion of partiality in his decision-making out of hand. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 respond to that sort of personal accusation, it鈥檚 a nonsense. Look at the evidence. The numbers speak for themselves,鈥� he says.

Rees鈥� supporters downplay the suggestion that  all this fuss could be harming Bristol鈥檚 investability or even undermining the concept of a city mayor. Terry Langdon, project director based in Bristol at consultant FT Squared, says: 鈥淚 don鈥檛 think this has a massive impact on investors鈥� decisions to come to the city. It鈥檚 successful anyway and this is not catastrophic.鈥� 

Richard Bonner, chair of the Bristol Chambers of Commerce as well as a director at Arcadis, backs Rees鈥� call. 鈥淭he fact one decision or other has been made by the local authority on its own capital project shouldn鈥檛 deter investors. The city has had a reputation for being difficult to get planning in, but that is getting better.鈥�

And Paul Swinney, head of policy at the Centre for Cities, rejects the idea that the arena flip-flop represents a failure of the mayoral model. 鈥淭he fact he鈥檚 mayor has allowed him to raise questions about the scheme and sense-check it, where a traditional leader may not have had the political capital,鈥� he says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a better vehicle for making the big calls.鈥�

In the meantime a consortium of consultants, led by Mott MacDonald and including Weston Williamson + Partners, GVA, Deloitte and Turley, have been appointed to draw up a new masterplan for the whole area. With continuing controversy and Fear鈥檚 US investors potentially still waiting in the wings, this tale looks to have some distance to run yet.