Cardiff 15000 arena

Interesting post here https://www.business-live.co.uk/commercial-property/cardiff-council-eyeing-up-new-16895380

Looks like Cardiff Council are looking seriously at Callaghan Square for a move to free up space for the arena..

Ambitious plans for a 15,000-seater indoor arena for Cardiff have moved a significant step foward.

Seen as a missing link in the city's strong leisure and sporting infrastructure offer, Cardiff Council has now drawn up a shortlist of potential developers.

In a first phase development at the heart of a wider 30-acre scheme, a £100m indoor arena located on the car park site of Cardiff Council's existing County Hall headquarters at Atlantic Wharf in Cardiff Bay, is being planned.

The council has confirmed it has received seven bids from potential developers for the project. The city's current largest indoor venue, the Motorpoint Arena, has capacity for just 5,000 spectators.

For an indoor arena in Cardiff Bay to be delivered on the council's existing car park site, it will require the relocation of the Travelodge at Hemingway Road.

https://www.business-live.co.uk/commercial-property/plans-15000-seater-indoor-arena-17171957

The timeline of this interests me
I'm sure I read initially that they would have to first build a multi story car park, then a replacement red dragon centre, then the arena. This seems to indicate build the arena first and then everything else after.
Think this is also the first time I've seen something refer to building the arena on the council car park, rather than on the red dragon site.
Sequencing of these phases doesn't seem right to me but no surprise at such an early stage

Same here, Owen.

Seems they are not too sure themselves. I guess it depends on a) if they opt for the land on Callaghan Square b) can they afford the lost time by building the multistory and new red dragon to build on the old site (not room for a Bristol and Cardiff 15k seater imho).

"Think this is also the first time I've seen something refer to building the arena on the council car park, rather than on the red dragon site"

It's been known about for a while Owen

Go back a few pages to CwlCymro's post for instance, for just 1 example...
"Council's first preference is to build arena on County Hall car park, possibly moving County Hall away from the bay (decision on whetehr to move County Hall will be proposed in September, decided by December). Back up plan is to build on the reserve car park of Red Dragon. Planning permission in 2020, construction start in 2021, complete 2023 is their hope"

It's the same timeframe as well, with a hoped for completion of 2023

Hi all. A long time lurker here; glad to join the forum! I see that the planning app for Bristol's arena has now been submitted. Do you guys think that this is the death knell for Cardiff's plans for one? After having lost our to Newport for a convention centre, it would be a shame for us to lose out on this as well, particularly with the glut of new hotel rooms being built!

Welcome!

I think both Arenas are sustainable, even if the Bristol one gets built.

Full planning permission was granted for the 'Arena Island' site near Temple Meads. Nothing happened for a decade and then the Mayor pulled the plug. That's the way Bristol works.

There's considerable opposition to the Filton plan and Bristol's dysfunctional local government makes it very difficult for anything to get built. The sagas surrounding the two football grounds, the proposed concert hall, @Bristol etc are all cases in point.

My hope is that Bristol's Arena in Filton will never make it past the planning stage. Its location is a contentious issue and certainly not as well located for public transport as their original site in temple meads.

Historically acts who draw around the 1,000 or so mark will either play Cardiff or Bristol, not both. Some alternate cities each tour, some just go to Bristol and some just come to Cardiff. It's just how it's always been, all dependant on the promotor and venue availability.

The Pussycat Dolls aren't going to play a major arena in both Bristol and Cardiff, they will do one. Someone like Jack Whitehall could do both and be successful but for the majority of cases it would be one or the other. I'm not sure there are enough touring major tours to split between two. It seems to work between Liverpool and Manchester and the two arenas in Birmingham so happy to be proven otherwise.

I don't like the planned location for this Bristol arena, it's not even really in Bristol. I'd be surprised if it got built, purely on the location. Majority of people seem to think the Red Dragon area is the best location for the Cardiff one and were due news any week on the operator.

My prediction is that the Bristol one will be granted permission but ultimately won't get off the ground. Cardiff one will get permission and built before Bristol. Bristol one gets pulled and never happens.