The transformation of the vast Brabazon Hangar to one of Europe’s biggest indoor venues has reached a ‘key milestone’ but the opening date has moved again
The long-awaited YTL Arena in the old Brabazon Hangar buildings at Filton Airfield should open in the autumn of 2028 and could have an increased capacity of 20,000, the boss of the project has told Bristol Live. Work to turn the 80-year-old hangar into one of the biggest indoor music venues in the country is now underway.
YTL Arena chief executive Andrew Billingham confirmed that new planning and licensing approval would be required to increase the capacity from a currently agreed 17,500 up to 20,000, but he was ‘excited’ that tweaks to the design and layout of the arena at its maximum would see the Brabazon building match the O2 in London for capacity.
The project has been beset by delays, with initial predicted completion dates coming and going, but the work to convert the huge hangar into one of the country’s biggest indoor venues has reached a ‘key milestone’, Mr Billingham told Bristol Live on a tour of the inside of the vast building.
That key milestone is that work to strip out all the internal elements of the Brabazon hangar’s former life as a vast aircraft factory, and work to demolish the external added-on office, plant and other buildings is nearly completed.
Once that has happened, work to remove the roof in stages will begin – that will enable the huge cranes to access the area to begin construction of the two-tiered amphitheatre structure.
Bristol Live wasn’t allowed to film the demolition work going on inside the building, but did witness teams of workers ripping down internal structures and walls and stripping back the building to its shell and frame.
The building inside is vast – some 100 yards from north to south and 300 yards east to west. Mr Billingham said he was proud of a decision to leave the concrete floor area, on which every Concorde build at Brabazon was built, in place. On the floor of the vast hangar, that area had been carefully marked out and it will eventually form the standing area for concerts facing a huge stage created within the vast south doors of the building.
Inside the YTL Arena as demolition reaches a ‘key milestone'(Image: YTL)
A massive backstage area, big enough for the 30-odd trucks most big artists now take on tour with them – and big enough to have its own heliport – will be created, and one of the old clocking-in machines from the days when Bristol workers created aviation history at Brabazon will be restored and put backstage, with artists who appear invited to ‘clock in’ with the machine before they perform.
The venue has had its critics and concerns – mainly about the length of time it is taking to create, and concerns over whether the transport infrastructure – which the West of England Combined Authority has put an estimated £100 million of investment into – will be able to handle huge events there.
Many people who attend a concert at the YTL Arena will arrive by car – there are large car parks already laid out on the wide Filton Airfield area – but the venue and the associated ‘new town’ of 6,000 new homes will also have a new train station, which should be finished by the end of next year.
Mr Billingham told Bristol Live it was ‘critical’ to get transport to the arena right, because otherwise people will have a bad experience and not return.
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“The logistics in terms of transportation is really critical,” he said. “There is that whole customer experience for us is a primary focus. We have a train station that opens at the back end of 2026, that has now started in terms of construction, that will connect you to Bristol Temple Meads.
“We have Metrobus coming through the site with three stops, we have park and ride that will be operating, but also we want to encourage that form of green transport to the site as well, so walking and cycling will also have routes to get to the arena,” he added.
“Transportation is really important. Our Section 106 in terms of investment in that is paramount. We’re investing a lot of money in terms of making sure that the infrastructure is going to work and is going to be something that makes sure that someone doesn’t come once, they want to come back time and time again,” he added.
Inside the YTL Arena as demolition reaches a ‘key milestone’ – YTL Arena chief executive Andrew Billingham(Image: Bristol Post)
The increase in capacity has also attracted scrutiny. The arena was granted planning permission on the basis that a maximum of 17,500 would attend at its peak. Now, an increase to 20,000 would require new permissions and licences. It would also put the YTL Arena in the top five biggest arenas in the Europe.
The O2 – which was built as the Millennium Dome – has a 20,000 capacity, the AO Arena in Manchester has a 21,000 capacity and the recently-opened Co-op Live Arena has a 23,500 capacity.
“We have planning consent for over 17,000,” said Mr Billingham. “We wanted a design that pushes best as we could, so we have made sure we’ve maximised every seating opportunity. We’ve made sure we’ve maximised the size of the floor when there’s a standing event, and that’s what has got us up to the 20,000 capacity.
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“I want to be attracting the biggest events here, so from a capacity point of view it’s important that we are at the top, because that will mean we can attract the promoters and those artists. I’m really excited that we have got to 20,000,” he added.
The latest predicted opening date is now the autumn of 2028 – still more than three years off. Last year, the predicted opening date was 2027, but Mr Billingham said as work progresses, the prediction of the opening date is becoming more clearer.
“At the moment, we’ve got a date of September or October 2028, that’s what we’re pushing towards in terms of opening,” he said. “We’re doing everything in our powers – we want this open as soon as we can.
“This is a key milestone for us, the hangars are 80 years old so the whole demolition, dismantling, removing the skin of the building and getting ready for construction is a key part, to make sure we know how the building reacts.
The YTL Arena as demolition reaches a ‘key milestone'(Image: YTL)
“Once we get through this phase, we’ll move on to the next phase of construction, which we’re targeting towards the end of the year, early next year, to be ready for the end of 2028.
“It’s going to be amazing when it’s finished. I’ve been on this project for close to eight years now, and it’s an absolutely incredible project. Of all the arenas I’ve seen across the country and across the world, this will be one of those that is going to be absolutely up there,” he added.