Construction of city’s sporting quarter set for 2025 start

A long-delayed sports development has received approval following the rejection of a legal challenge. Construction for Bristol Sport’s Ashton Gate Sporting Quarter, featuring a new basketball arena for the Bristol Flyers and a hotel, is now scheduled to commence in 2025. The High Court has dismissed a legal dispute between a waste company and council planners that had stalled the project’s initiation, with no subsequent right to appeal. The 5,000-seat multi-purpose arena is planned for construction adjacent to Ashton Gate stadium, the home ground for Bristol City Football Club and the Bristol Bears rugby union team. Although plans for the sporting quarter were initially unveiled in 2018, the project has been affected by numerous delays and legal disputes. The development was connected to an approved proposal for 510 new residences at Longmoor, but ETM Recycling initiated a judicial review in 2023, citing concerns that noise from its adjacent facility could impact future residents. During a High Court hearing, the Honourable Mr Justice Lavender determined that no special circumstances existed to grant ETM additional time beyond the legal deadline to contest the planning permission for Longmoor Village, leading to the dismissal of the case. Bristol Sport has confirmed that construction is set to commence in 2025. The Bristol Flyers will benefit from a significantly increased stadium capacity at the new 5,000-seat arena, having played for the last ten years at SGS College, which accommodates 750 spectators. Lisa Knights, the team’s CEO, stated: “This has been a long time coming and the Flyers cannot wait for it get started.”With sell-out crowds consistently at our current home of SGS College Arena, having a bigger, purpose-built venue will ensure the financial sustainability of the Flyers and an exciting future for basketball in Bristol and the south west.” For updates, follow BBC Bristol on Facebook, X, and Instagram. Story ideas can be submitted via email or WhatsApp at 0800 313 4630. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC bears no responsibility for the content of external websites. Information regarding our external linking policy is available.