![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/0_Brentry-and-BRabazon-2.jpg\")
The entrance to Charlton Gardens, a cul-de-sac on the very edge of Bristol, which will have the YTL Arena nearby(Image: Google Earth)<\/p>\nThere are fears the YTL Arena will shatter the peace in BrentryThe entrance to Charlton Gardens, a cul-de-sac on the very edge of Bristol, which will have the YTL Arena nearby(Image: Google Earth)<\/p>\n
It\u2019s difficult to tell, if you were to potter around the pleasant cul-de-sacs and estates off Charlton Mead Drive, that just over some of the back gardens will one day – probably, definitely, maybe, be the biggest entertainment venue in the region.<\/p>\n
But it\u2019s obvious just from the sheer volume of construction lorries and distant noise of machinery and hubbub, that something is happening in this previously quiet edge of Bristol.<\/p>\n
Work to finally convert the huge Brabazon Hangar complex into a 19,000 capacity arena hasn\u2019t actually started yet, but there\u2019s plenty going on in this quiet corner of Brentry, the most northerly of Bristol\u2019s urban areas.<\/p>\n
These streets were constructed back in the 1960s and 70s as private housing on the edge of the city. The main railway line from Bristol to South Wales acted as a physical barrier forming both the edge of the county of Bristol, and the natural border between the homes and the vast Filton<\/a> Aerodrome.<\/p>\n Back in the days when these homes were new, it was a noisy place. Concorde was being developed and the long runways and hangars were filled with activity. That all stopped around 20 years ago, and the airfield closed officially in 2012.<\/p>\n For the past couple of decades then, the only sounds over the hedges of Brentry have been the thwacks and pings and shouts from Filton Golf Course.<\/p>\n Sign up to receive daily news updates and breaking news alerts straight to your inbox for free here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/strong><\/p>\n But now, things are getting built. All along the southern and western end of the vast open space on the other side of the railway line, new housing estates are being built, and this little corner of Brentry is now longer a little estate island of quiet with an empty bowl of an airfield to the north, a golf club to the east.<\/p>\n But it\u2019s what is about to happen – probably – at the huge Brabazon building that sits just on the Brentry side of the railway line and so, officially, in the city and county of Bristol, that is exercising the local residents, and their stalwart local councillor.<\/p>\n Creating a 19,000 capacity arena over the other side of the hedge will transform this quiet little estate, and the new estates on the other side of the main road, from a backwater to a neighbour of a cultural hub.<\/p>\n The YTL Arena has been ‘about to start soon’ for about the last eight years, and never has. But as the homes are built, work on the station on the other side begins, and the boss of YTL talks confidently of the project actually getting started this year, the thoughts of the residents of Brentry turn to how it\u2019s going to affect them.<\/p>\n READ MORE: Fears new Bristol Arena will cause traffic chaos<\/a>READ MORE: Parking fears raised over massive new Bristol Arena plans<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cI suppose we\u2019ve been used to this being a really quiet area, it\u2019s lovely,\u201d said one resident, June, who has lived here for \u2018a good 20 years\u2019. \u201cWe really don\u2019t know what it will bring, but it will bring something,\u201d she added. “It will be good for the area, but everyone I know around here is worried about the traffic and people filling the streets with parked cars. No one thinks the trains and buses will be able to cope with it all.”<\/p>\n Another resident, who didn\u2019t want to be named, said he is still unconvinced the arena will happen. \u201cI think it\u2019s been so long, we\u2019ve given up thinking it\u2019ll ever happen. Obviously if it does, then great – we\u2019ll be able to walk to big events there,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cThe one thing I think people are worried about is the parking. They say there\u2019ll be a big car park, and there\u2019s the train station, but I look around at our nice quiet streets now and think \u2018if I was driving to an event there I\u2019d park here for free\u2019, there\u2019s nothing to stop them at the moment,” he added.<\/p>\n The nearest homes in Brentry to the Brabazon Hangar are literally just the length of the 18th hole at Filton Golf Club. Access from the roads of Brentry to the arena would, in theory, be just a five or ten minute walk.<\/p>\n Exactly what the procedure for people attending events and parking would be remains to be seen, but it doesn\u2019t take a genius to work out if people are charged for parking at the Brabazon Arena to encourage them to get a bus or train, then they might start looking around at the roads nearby.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a scenario that has already occurred to Cllr Mark Weston, the long-serving Conservative councillor for this corner of Bristol. With YTL wanting to increase the capacity from the agreed 17,000 to 19,000, and the reality of a train service from the new station that will only be able to whisk away a fraction of those thousands after an event, Cllr Weston is flagging this up as an issue now, before work to create the arena has really even begun.<\/p>\n He wants Bristol City Council<\/a> to be pro-active, and undertake a survey and review of the roads of Brentry, and have this as a pre-arena baseline. And if there\u2019s no way of knowing what life was like on the kerbs of Brentry before the arena opened, then there\u2019ll be no way to show there\u2019s a difference and make YTL fund something that does something about it.<\/p>\n \u201cIf we don’t do the parking survey at some point, we’ll never get it done. And then we won’t have a baseline, and we won’t know if things have got worse. Then we can’t trigger money from YTL to put in the mitigation,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cYTL has committed that if there’s an impact by the arena on parking in the surrounding areas, Southmead<\/a>, Henbury and Brentry, they have to put in mitigations in place to stop it, like an event parking scheme or something else,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat I would hate for us to do is get the arena open and then go ‘oh, we haven’t monitored the parking’. If we don’t have a base to judge it against whether it’s got worse, we’re going to cause a problem. Redrow is the final bit of housing in that area, and they’re selling now. So within about six months, we’ll know what the parking is,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n Bristol City Council doesn\u2019t exactly have a great track record when it comes to allowing a major events venue and making sure the people living around it don\u2019t have their roads clogged up by parked cars when there\u2019s an event on.<\/p>\n When council planners gave Steve Lansdown permission to turn Ashton Gate from a much-loved but functional football ground into a 27,000 capacity stadium, they included the idea that the stadium should fund a \u2018matchday parking\u2019 system – common around almost all football stadia in England – which sees drivers parking in the residential streets returning to find their cars have been towed.<\/p>\n But the council\u2019s small print for that mid-2010s planning permission was woolly to say the least. The stadium would only have to fund a matchday parking scheme if one of two situations were triggered – Bristol City reached the Premier League, or three of five consecutive men\u2019s football matches saw more than 25,000 fans enter the stadium.<\/p>\n Despite crowds returning in greater numbers than before the Covid pandemic, it\u2019s a condition that\u2019s never been triggered.<\/p>\n Nevertheless, council chiefs believe they can deal with this issue when YTL formally do come and ask to increase the capacity of the Brabazon Arena from 17,000 to 19,000. Alex Hearn, the council\u2019s director of economy of place, told a recent meeting: “The suggestions of increased capacity means they’ll be required to have more engagement with the planning authority and a new planning application. That will require a new transport assessment as well, so we can look at that.\u201d<\/p>\n The Brabazon hangar has been used for a big music event before. Back in 2019, Massive Attack played twice there to about 14,000 each night, to showcase the site as a music and events venue, and show it was possible.<\/p>\n That required a convoy of double decker buses from the city centre to Filton Airfield the likes of which Bristol had never seen before or since, with thousands heading from Broad Quay to Brabazon up the M32. The idea that this would happen again on a nightly basis is, frankly, fanciful.<\/p>\n Andrew Billingham, the chief executive of the YTL arena, is aware of the issue before it\u2019s an issue, but points out the council gave planning permission to approve the Arena with a 17,000 capacity, and has already required millions of pounds from YTL to be contribute towards transport improvements. \u201c<\/p>\n \u201cWe understand the concerns raised regarding transport and parking as we progress with the development of YTL Arena,\u201d he said. \u201cOur commitment is to ensure that concert-goers and visitors can travel to and from the arena efficiently while minimising any impact on neighbouring communities.<\/p>\n \u201cYTL has already committed over \u00a33.6 million in planning obligations, which will contribute to transport improvements and infrastructure. A comprehensive transport management plan has been approved as part of the planning process, ensuring a well-structured approach to managing visitor journeys.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen Bristol hosted the Massive Attack concerts in 2019, more than 28,000 people attended without dedicated rail infrastructure, and the event was a great success. Building on this experience, YTL is investing heavily to promote sustainable transport and reduce reliance on cars,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are committed to monitoring parking levels in surrounding areas and will work with local authorities to address any potential issues. If at any point further mitigations are needed, we will take appropriate action.<\/p>\n \u201cShould we seek to increase the arena\u2019s capacity beyond the already approved 17,000, we will work closely with all relevant authorities to assess and manage the transport impact effectively. Our goal is to create a world-class venue that benefits the entire city while ensuring the needs of local residents are respected and safeguarded,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n Join Bristol Live\u2019s WhatsApp community for top stories and breaking news sent directly to your phone<\/strong><\/p>\n Bristol Live<\/a> is now on WhatsApp and we want you to join our community.<\/p>\n Through the app, we\u2019ll send the latest breaking news, top stories, exclusives and much more straight to your phone.<\/p>\n To join our community you need to already have WhatsApp. All you need to do is click this link and select \u2018Join Community\u2019.<\/a><\/p>\n No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Bristol Live<\/a> team.<\/p>\n We also treat community members to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. 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The Bristol suburb of Brentry, left, with the Brabazon hangar – the site for the YTL Arena – on the right, and Filton Golf Club in the foreground(Image: Google Earth)<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/0_KW_BRI_181119YTLArena_09.jpg\")
(Image: Publicity Picture)<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/0_JB_BRI_071020MarkWeston-06JPG.jpg\")
Mark Weston, councillor for Henbury and Brentry, in Crow Lane Open Space(Image: James Beck\/BristolLive)<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Ashton-Gate-parking-3jpeg.jpg\")
Residents have long complained of fans’ cars clogging up the roads around Ashton Gate on matchdays<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/0_BusesMassiveAttack.jpg\")
Shuttle buses, Massive Attack<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/1_D0mCKyTW0AYa5mz.jpg\")
Bus heading straight to Massive Attack(Image: Martin Booth – bristol247.com)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/1744476931_129_0_WhatsApp-Phone.jpg\")
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