I am a little angry about this. I went to the Massive Attack gig in Filton. Note Filton not Bristol. Andrew Billingham "We are fully committed to opening a venue that will inspire future generations, giving our great city a beating heart across. Its barely in Bristol let alone at its heart. Andrew Billingham isn't from Bristol or the West Country and moves across the UK from project to project following money. As a pre and post gig venue it was ****. Its was drive in and drive out. It will add nothing to the cultural vibrancy of Bristol. It added nothing to the local coffers as there was nothing in the local vicinity worthwhile visiting.It will increase car usage, creating more carbon emissions. YTL are an Asian company. There are going to do very well out of our taxes here and what will be their venue sucking money out of Bristol's economy.. Marvin Rees I don't doubt will also financially profit from deliberately sabotaging what should have been a cultural legacy for Bristol at Temple Meads.
I'm truly delighted that the city will at long last have a concert/multi-purpose venue having lagged behind all of the other major cities for so many years. But the location absolutely sucks, and that's where Bristol (truly International) Airport should have been relocated to, not some muddy field with continued fog problems like Lulsgate.
< don't agree with what you have said between here [<] and there [ V ]…….. V but this bit may have a bit of truth wrote this in the early hours and forgot to push go ….
I work (or worked !) at Aztec West until being told to work from home eventually! The traffic in the area from 16.00 onwards every work day evening is appalling, and having another 10,000 - 17,000 cars congesting it even more for a concert is going to create gridlock and mayhem as there are precious few other direct methods of public transport to that location, It reeks of greed and people lining their pockets as you said.
I went to Birmingham to see the Chemical Brothers before Christmas at the Birmingham arena. Right in the centre, stayed in a hotel, went to shops, restaurants and bars all in the centre and all within walking distance of the venue. I spent probably more than 10 times the ticket price on other activities. This will do nothing for Bristol and Filton is pants to get to
I live in Stoke Gifford, less than a mile from the Venue, traffic jams and gridlock every morning and evening, stinking traffic fumes that's the downside, the upside is you are less than a 15minute walk from the Parkway Station, which is less than 10 minutes jouney time from Temple Meads, 5 minutes from the M5 in a car, 10 minutes from the M32, just up the road you have all of the shops, pubs, eating out choices, cinema, Concorde Centre and Hotels that Cribbs Causeway offers, plenty of on site car parking and, and only 20 minutes away from the minimal stadium. It all depends on your point of view, me I would love Jeff Lynne and ELO to appear there I would be first one in the queue and I'm an old git.
When I attended the Massive Attack gig in Queens square the Centre was busied by gig goers spending tens of thousands of pounds. People obviously going to the gig were everywhere, the same came be said for the gigs on the Harbourside and at the Downs. My friends and I spent very freely for hours outside the venues.. It is worth millions to the economy of Bristol. The Massive Attack gig at Filton. The streets were dormant apart from buses and cars . People drove in and out. I spent nothing in the area as did my friends as with respect why would anybody go to Filton for a day or night out.
I WORKED OUT OF Aztec for 10 years our building was one side of Wallace and grommits ...lol If I left there [ very occasionally at that time ] 4.40pm I could get back home in 35 minutes … not far from MAES KNOLL … 10 mins later and took me about an hour...……………….. SINCE THEN 1999 I have had to be there [at Filton AIRBUS bae MK proposed hangars ] around 5 -6 pm and go to London or m5 and takes about 30mins to do 2 miles..... what is interesting you have / had to drive past the front of the hangars to get to a lot of the air bus offices or BAE STORAGE …
Its entirely the wrong place. Too far out. Money spent in the area will be the developers and will stop £££ coming into Bristol.
IT IS ALL WITHIN the 3 hangars each one just big enough to get a jumbo in and close the door … about 4" spare height in the doorway. First hangar [walled off from other 2] was british airlines other 2 was MK airlines they converted passenger jumbo's to transporters... a passenger jumbo does x hours and gets scrapped as a passenger carrier you can buy one for £1.5m … but where to keep it!
Well said, and next to the new development’s in Cribbs causeway with ski dome being built. And to all the gloomers, just because it’s not being built in the city centre is not something to moan about. Not everyone lives that side of Bristol, believe it or not some of us live even in Wales so Filton is an easier option. Everyone goes on about Birmingham arena, being in the centre, when the biggest and most busiest is at the airport, it’s just got a good rail link. Which is not now to dissimilar to getting from Temple Meads to Parkway, Patchway and Abbey Wood. Bristol city council had the chance to build one, they blew it and AG is taken ownership on the South side events with big gigs etc. South Gloucestershire is only taking the opportunity to utilise the air field with the new development of Cribbs, so at least the Bristol area is back on the maps. It’s not going to be like the Massive Attack concert with the way the getting to and from the arena or the food situation, being catered for vegetarians I believe.
They may as well call it the Gloucestershire Arena given it's location !! Its hardly central Bristol. I went to the NIA in Birmingham to see Black Sabbath in 2013. Aside from getting out of the car park which was a bit of an ordeal the venue is right next to Broad St, and as you say loads of Bars, Restaurants etc all on the doorstep. I've also frequented the Genting Arena (used to be called the NEC) in Birmingham on many occasions and that's largely self contained with bars and food outlets inside and out. Ditto the London O2 which is like a mini (albeit overpriced!) city. But like the Albert Hall in London which has literally nothing close to it for food and drink, the Filton venue is going to have to be largely self contained and I shan't be frequenting it.
I'm the same as Angelic on this one! Living in Somerset, getting to Cribbs can be an ordeal in itself in the summer and leading up to Christmas, so the thought of spending hours on clogged up roads going to a gig isn't something I'll be wasting my time on!!
Filton will never be able to rival the City centre and the harbourside as a environment. Geographically this venue cannot link up to the City's existing cultural assets. The Temple Meads venue would have energised further those widely owned assets culturally and economically. That is not a point about where you live. Its why arenas are built in central areas of Cities. Righteous wheel of capitalism .. That economic wheel cannot occur with a site owned by the developer surrounded by its own assets on the outskirts of a City. Expect Rees to take up a lucrative paid role with YTL in the future.
If you looked at Bristol Airports foot print including all parking, against Filton airfields you will probably see Filton is smaller. Plus Filton is surrounded by residential areas that bought in times without an airport there. A big percentage people that live around Lulsgate all bought property knowing there is an international airport there. Cardiff airport is out past Barry and more of a pain to get to, Birmingham airport was built outside the city, just the city grew. Most airports are out of towns. Gatwick being a big one to compare with. It’s still classed as one of the London airports.
