The opening date of the new £92 million Bristol Arena has been pushed back until autumn 2020, it has been announced.

Work is now expected to start on site in spring 2018 after contractor Bouygues UK walked away from the project due to a dispute over the price of the development.

The contractor had been working as a consultant on the scheme in its capacity as preferred tenderer in a two-stage tender process. The final stage involved agreeing the final package of works and a target cost before proceeding to the construction phase.

However, both Bristol City Council and Bouygues UK were unable to agree on a price and will not progress to full contract.


The 12,000-seat venue near Temple Meads was originally scheduled for completion by late 2017. The scheme has suffered a number of setbacks and delays, with a previous delay until 2019 announced last year.

Bristol Mayor Marvin Rees said despite the setback, he is committed to the project.

"We have the design, the planning permission, the operator and the momentum of a successful Enterprise Zone," he said.

"We also have a much better understanding of the complexities involved in bringing the building to life.

"I am disappointed that although so much work has been put in for so long, and despite recent constructive and detailed talks with Bouygues, we have simply been unable to agree on the price for the arena. We've tried to close the gap and have reluctantly accepted that we will not reach agreement.

"I firmly believe that we can and will build the arena Bristol deserves but this has to be for the right price. We have made a lot of progress and are now seeking an alternative contractor to build the arena as soon as possible."

The council has now started the search for a new contractor and is exploring options to build the arena "as quickly as possible".

(LM)