BRISTOL, UK (CelebrityAccess) — The City of Bristol has rejected a plan to build a major arena and concert venue in Temple Island, in the heart of downtown Bristol.
According to the Bristol Post, city Mayor Marvin Rees and the City Council rejected the proposal after determining that an arena would not be the most cost-effective use of the land.
Instead, the council will seek to use the land for a mixed-use zone, which may include a conference center, housing, offices and shops, the Bristol Post reported.
“The [cost-benefit] report clearly told me that an alternative use was far better. The arena brought fewer jobs and most jobs in arenas around the country are temporary and minimum wage,” Rees said at a meeting on Monday, according to the Post.
“A mixed-use site, including a conference centre, would blow away the arena for jobs and create a stronger tax base and economic output for the city,” Rees added. “Jobs and affordable homes are the key values for the delivery of my administration. I will prioritize them.”
The proposed 12,000-capacity arena was first announced in 2003 but has been a point of public controversy since, with detractors from the plan expressing concern about parking and public finances leading the debate.
The city is now considering constructing an arena within the Brabazon Hangar at the former Filton Airfield on the edge of the city’s boundary, the Post reported.
