Another step towards Bristol getting its long-awaited arena will take place next week when Mayor George Ferguson decides how it will be designed and run.
The council needs to appoint an operator to help make the 12,000 capacity venue a reality. The arena will be built in the heart of the Temple Quarter Enterprise Zone, the city’s biggest regeneration project. 
Next Thursday’s Cabinet meeting will consider two main options:
- An operator lease, under which the arena would be leased to an operator who would pay a fixed annual rental, taking the risk on the level of income generated and sharing profits with the council above an agreed amount. The operator would arrange the programme and maintain the venue with the council having to negotiate any input into the programme.
- A management agreement under which the council would pay an annual fee to an operator to run the arena on its behalf. Council resources would be needed to manage the contract, programme the arena and maintain the building. Venue income would go to the council which would also be responsible for any losses.
- Two other options were considered – setting up an arms-length organisation to run the arena and the council running the arena itself – were considered but rejected on grounds of deliverability, risk, benefits and the council’s objectives.
Mayor Ferguson said: “This is a vitally important decision for the arena, setting out the best way to make it a reality and ensuring it is run in the most cost effective and suitable manner for the city. I want to ensure an element of city control over the arena, but it would be unwise for us to take on the full running of the facility and the risks that brings. Instead I’ll be considering ways for it to be run by an experienced, professional operator to make the most of the arena and the opportunities it brings.
“Without revealing too much at this stage, we’ve had considerable informal interest following the business study, which is extremely encouraging in terms of getting the right operator and best value.”
A clear funding package and budget approval will be required for the arena before an operator can be appointed. But next week’s decision should allow officers to start preparing the necessary documentation for securing an operator. A full report will go to the Cabinet in January outlining the funding arrangements for the arena before going to a full council decision as part of the council’s budget in February.
If a funding package is agreed in the New Year it is anticipated that the process of appointing an operator could begin as early as March. Work could then start on site in early 2016, with completion in 2017.
