The first residents are already living there but construction is ongoing
14:07, 28 Sep 2025Updated 14:07, 28 Sep 2025
Brabazon Park with views of the lake and YTL Live entertainment complex(Image: Handout)
The government has backed the Brabazon development as part of a series of new towns being constructed across the country. Pitched as one of the ‘highest quality developments in the whole of the UK’, Brabazon new town will sit at the heart of a corridor of connected developments in South Gloucestershire known as the West Innovation Arc.
This stretches from Brabazon in the west, where the new Bristol arena will be built, to the Bristol & Bath Science Park in the east. The ‘New Town’ designation will open up access to Government support, accelerating development and investment in infrastructure, officials say.
This is described as being key in leading to expansion in sectors such as aerospace and engineering which already employ thousands of people across the region. Brabazon, the transformation of the historic former Filton Airfield in north Bristol, is being delivered by YTL UK Group. It already has planning permission for 6,500 new homes driving the creation of 30,000 new jobs and contributing £5 billion social and economic value to the region.
And it has the potential to go further, delivering “up to 25,000 homes” eventually, according to a statement issued by YTL in response to the New Town announcement.
Plans describe how major improvement in public transport will make this possible. More than £100 million is already being invested to improve local infrastructure, with a new railway station connecting Brabazon to Bristol Temple Meads in less than 15 minutes, and a dedicated metrobus will run straight through Brabazon, while the new town will be criss-crossed by walking routes and cycle paths.
Already under construction, with more than 500 homes built and occupied, and £400 million invested by YTL, the developer claims Brabazon will become a “thriving new town, designed around people, nature and opportunity: the best place in the UK to live, work and play”.
Plans for the development include:
- 6,500 new homes for every generation, with the potential for up to 25,000, plus 2,000-bed student accommodation
- 30,000 new jobs and regional GVA of £5 billion
- A live entertainment complex including 20,000-capacity arena, conferencing and exhibition space, and an innovative aerospace-themed digital entertainment hub – putting Bristol on the world stage
- Three new schools and community facilities to support lifelong learning
- A new train station, alongside Metrobus links, cycle routes and walking paths to improve regional and local connectivity
- More than 3.6 million sq ft of commercial space to incubate the next generation of businesses, talent and technology
- A network of parks, green spaces and community hubs, designed to promote wellbeing, culture and connection. A 15-acre Brabazon Park and lake will be the largest in the South West for 50 years.
Seb Loyn, director of planning and development at YTL Developments, said: “We are proud that Brabazon has been included. With work already underway this gives us a head start as one of the country’s flagship new towns.
A CGI of the Brabazon site(Image: YTL)
“This designation is a vote of confidence in the vision we share with our partners and the community: to build a place with a soul, where culture, green space and opportunity come together. This designation gives us fresh momentum to deliver a thriving new town for Bristol and the South West, one that will stand as a model for sustainable growth across the UK.”
The New Towns announcement emerged ahead of the Labour’s party conference, with the Housing Secretary Steve Reed pledging to “do whatever it takes to get Britain building”. Work on 12 new towns will be taken forward, as recommended by a report from the Government’s New Towns Taskforce, published on Sunday morning.
Priority for construction in the current Parliament will likely be Tempsford in Bedfordshire, Leeds South Bank, and Crews Hill, north London, described by Labour as “most promising sites”. Each of the dozen new towns will have at least 10,000 homes, and could collectively result in 300,000 houses being built across England.
In the West of England region, the report highlighted “a corridor of connected development in South Gloucestershire, across Brabazon and the West Innovation Arc; building in one of the highest productivity areas in the country with a high value research, advanced engineering and technology economy”.
Helen Godwin, Mayor of the West of England, said: “The West Innovation Arc, with Brabazon at its heart, is one of the best investment opportunities in the country right now, so I’m delighted to see our part of the world recommended for one of 12 new towns across the UK that would further drive economic growth and help tackle the housing crisis now and in the future.
“The extra government support that would come with having a new town in our region would help us deliver the right homes in the right places, with the services and infrastructure that local people deserve. This growth zone is one of the guiding stars of the West’s future, as we chart the course to an economy that works for everyone, where we call all contribute to, and share in, our region’s success.”
The leaders of South Gloucestershire Council and Bristol City Council have also welcomed the announcement.
BristolLive reported back in July that plans to build a landmark eight-storey office block as part of the Brabazon development had been given the green light. YTL has been granted permission for the latest proposals, which were submitted in April and include a ticket office for the new train station near the Bristol Arena.