The long-awaited Bristol Arena has been delayed yet again following the departure of its main contractor, it was revealed this week. It should now open by autumn 2020, Mayor of Bristol Marvin Rees said.
Bristol City Council has chosen not to progress to a main building contract with Bouygues UK to build the £92m, 12,000-capacity arena, saying an agreement on price cannot be reached. 
Work is now not expected to start on site until spring next year following the appointment of a new contractor. Plans for an arena next to Temple Meads railway station have been around for more than 15 years.
After a series of false starts they were resurrected in 2013 by former Mayor George Ferguson, who claimed it would open this year. That date has been put back several times.
The council said it was unable to agree on the price of the full contract to build the arena with Bouygues UK, which had been working as a consultant on the project in its capacity as preferred tenderer.
This two-stage tender process was to agree a final package of works and a target cost, ensuring all issues were understood and agreed before moving ahead with the physical building work.
The council said its contractual agreement with Bouygues UK allowed it to retain much of the preparatory work and learning.
It described this as a common industry practice which helped protect against unexpected increases in cost and timescales once construction is underway.
The council this week said it was now actively exploring other options to build the arena as quickly as possible, including either approaching another contractor or re-tendering “with the benefit of experience and the work already done”.
Bouygues UK, which has an office at Bradley Stoke, is one of the biggest players in the UK construction industry. It was appointed 11 months ago.
It was reported to have beaten bids from rivals BAM Construction, Buckingham Group, Laing O’Rourke and Sir Robert McAlpine to land the prestigious arena contract.
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.
The arena will form part of the Temple Quarter Enterprise Zone, which was recently boosted with news that the University of Bristol plans to build a new campus in the area.
Mayor Rees said he remained committed to getting the arena built and despite this setback it remained closer than it had ever been.
“We have the design, the planning permission, the operator and the momentum of a successful Enterprise Zone. 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 target cost 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.”
Bristol remains the largest UK city without a major entertainment venue – a fact that previous Mayor Mr Ferguson believed has damaged the local economy. The city has been unable to attract global touring stars and major international events, forcing its residents to travel to Cardiff, Birmingham or London.
