Bristol City Council has appointed the UK arm of international construction group Bouygues as preferred bidder to build the city’s long-awaited £90m Bristol Arena.
Bouygues UK, which has an office at Bradley Stoke, is one of the country’s top construction and development companies. It has a long track record in Bristol under its previous name Leadbitter Group and built Aardman Animations’ showpiece headquarters and studios in Gas Ferry Road. 
Internationally, the group has experience delivering flagship venues, including the Singapore Sports Hub, the Stade Vélodrome football stadium in Marseille and the rebuilt Maracanã Stadium in Rio, which hosted the 2014 World Cup final.
It is reported to have beaten bids from rivals BAM Construction, Buckingham Group, Laing O’Rourke and Sir Robert McAlpine to land the prestigious arena contract.
Bristol’s 12,000 capacity arena is due to open in 2018 on disused land close to Bristol Temple Meads station and within the Temple Quarter Enterprise Zone.
The council today said it intended to award a pre-construction services agreement to Bouygues UK for first phase pre-construction services. That will follow a two-stage design and build procurement exercise.
During the first phase the council will work with Bouygues UK to agree a final package of works and target cost for the arena before awarding a building contract, following approval by the council’s cabinet, in the summer.
Bouygues UK has joined the arena design team which includes architects Populous – designers of the London Olympic Stadium and O2 Arena – Bath-based architects Feilden Clegg Bradley and engineering firm BuroHappold.
Mayor of Bristol George Ferguson said: “I am delighted with the outcome of this contractor selection process that marks an important step towards delivering this vitally important new venue for Bristol and the region. Bouygues UK is part of a hugely experienced construction company that has delivered major projects around the world. They also have a very good track record of delivering local jobs and training opportunities for local people which is something that I was particularly keen to see assessed as part of the tender process.”
Bouygues UK Western region managing director Chris Stevens added: “We are excited to be working with the council on the new Bristol Arena development, which will finally see a new, world-class arena and entertainment venue for the city, as well as the wider region.”
Two arena-related planning applications are due to be considered by a planning committee on March 2 – a detailed application is for the building and access and an outline application for the development of housing, business space and leisure uses next to the venue.
These plans are designed to make the area – known as Arena Island – a vibrant place and busy throughout the week.
Bouygues UK has been operating in the UK since 1997 and is one of the biggest players in the UK construction industry with a £860m turnover and around 1800 people.
It acquired a 51% stake in Leadbitter in 2011 and took over the remaining shares a year later. Its Western has offices in Bristol, Plymouth, Swansea and Cardiff.
