YTL Arena Bristol caring for the environment  

We are committed to creating an environmentally sensitive and sustainable arena, by driving down car dependency and encouraging the use of public transport. A new train station within walking distance of the proposed arena is due to open in 2022 and will link directly to Temple Meads; a new Metrobus service will link to Bristol Parkway; there will be dedicated taxi drop off and pick up points, and over 500 cycle racks on site.

Andrew Billingham, Managing Director of YTL Arena Bristol, says: “We are committed to driving down car dependency and are confident that our transport management plan will achieve this by implementing further travel plan measures during the life of the venue, with a target to reduce the car mode share further as the public transport and cycling infrastructure in Bristol develops. This would reduce the on-site car mode share from 35% to 20%.

While cars are a typical form of transport for arenas, we are perfectly positioned to manage this, through Park & Ride schemes and the emerging public transport infrastructure.  Visitors will be incentivised to use green forms of transport through the Arena’s messaging and ticketing processes.”

The Arena will have minimal impact on traffic in comparison to other arenas planned for the city. The former city centre arena traffic management plan was based on 80% car usage, which translates to 3,520 cars with 2.7 people average per car.  It was proposed that 1,165 cars would use Park & Rides with the balance of 2,355 trying to find a parking space somewhere in the city centre. A worst-case scenario for YTL Arena Bristol assumes 80% car share for a family show event with an average 7,000 capacity and a higher person per car ratio. This would result in 1,867 cars.

In March 2019, we demonstrated their ability to deliver a successful traffic management plan, hosting two concerts with 14,000 fans attending each night. There were 2,500 cars parking on-site and a hugely successful shuttle bus scheme transporting people in and out of the city centre within an average 22 minutes. Events of a similar scale would typically require road closures, as was planned for the former city centre arena, however, we require no such operation and can facilitate all event types and scale.

We are also committed to making sure their plans minimise their impact on the environment and have a positive benefit to their neighbours and the wider community.