Bristol Arena

AndyK · Post by **AndyK** » Wed Jan 09, 2008 12:14 am

This will be old news for Bristol residents, but I hear that the "Bristol Arena" planned for the site of Bath Road sheds has been scrapped. Myself, I'm not even sure what kind of arena it was going to be; was it to be a sports stadium or a concert venue, or perhaps both?

What was the general public feeling about it while it was still on the cards - was it popular or regarded as a millennium Dome-style white elephant?

What would be the best use for the site now? More offices would be dull, but they might at least increase the number of rail commuters into Temple Meads and perhaps tip the balance towards some much-needed improvements to Bristol's local rail system.

Agency_Scum · Post by **Agency_Scum** » Wed Jan 09, 2008 12:53 am

I think in such an excellently placed location it would make a superb storage and maintainance facility for locomtives using Temple Meads.....

I'll get me coat.

Mitch · Post by **Mitch** » Wed Jan 09, 2008 12:55 am

I noticed the other day that the huge billboard on the site, proclaiming the new arena, has been dismantled.
I think an arena on this site would have been a non-starter anyway: the extra road traffic it would have generated would have been horrendous.
How about a nice new railway museum on the site?

MKC · Post by **MKC** » Wed Jan 09, 2008 9:40 am

Imo they should rebuild Bath Road depot - especially with the amount of locos that seem to get stabled at Temple Meads recently!

Agency_Scum · Post by **Agency_Scum** » Wed Jan 09, 2008 11:15 am

Don't be daft, that would imply that when the government slaughtered the railways in favour of our Three-Cars-Per-Person utopia they were making a vast mistake!

It's okay, I've got me coat.

horace · Post by **horace** » Wed Jan 09, 2008 12:28 pm

This sounds like another marsh scenario, knock down the train depot for a fruit and veg market, then build a new train depot next to it. this time they have just not got around to building something. perhaps they could build a new PO sorting office there!

The Usual BCC dream machine has been at work, then they wake up and find it is just another dream to go in the filing cabinet. Along with the metro, the city run royal portbury, the tunnel through the hill at totterdown, the inner bristol ring road, a huge museum on castle park, a new colston hall overhanging the docks, etc. etc.

Post by **madhattie** » Wed Jan 09, 2008 12:48 pm

Maybe we should have a museum of failed BCC projects. Or at least, maybe they could start planning one now, spend a couple of million n consultations, then bin the idea.

I imagine there will be a Tescos there before too long.

Agency_Scum · Post by **Agency_Scum** » Wed Jan 09, 2008 1:29 pm

A museum of failed BCC projects? Good god, it'll be visible from space!

horace · Post by **horace** » Wed Jan 09, 2008 3:38 pm

Now i always thought that one day when arriving at heathrow it would say "welcome to tesco", perhaps this is the start, when you arrive by train in bristol there is a damn great sign next to the railway saying "welcome to tesco" after all the new plans to say it will now be a mixture of housing and shops. what pisses me off is the fact as well as losing a good railway facility that millions have been spent on the site which will now all go to benefit what will probably be private developers. The usual cranky BCC thinking again, a left wing council spending money for the social good, then finding they cant afford it so the money is lost.
Now if the council really want to lose money in this way perhaps they should build a spa on the site, after all one of the old city water conduits from totterdown runs past the site. Just think you would be able to sit in a hot tub on the roof of the spa and watch the 50's, HST's, 66's etc going in and out of TM, oh what a pleasure.

tugboatcharly2 · Post by **tugboatcharly2** » Wed Jan 09, 2008 5:02 pm

As an old BATH ROADIAN NO Comment!

Injector · Post by **Injector** » Wed Jan 09, 2008 9:24 pm

A shed for steam engine's would be nice, it could have a coal stage ,
a wagon repair shop and a turntable at the bottem of the coal road, who knows they may call it Bath Rd engine shed

andy hole · Post by **andy hole** » Thu Jan 10, 2008 12:36 am

madhattie wrote:Maybe we should have a museum of failed BCC projects. Or at least, maybe they could start planning one now, spend a couple of million n consultations, then bin the idea.

I imagine there will be a Tescos there before too long.

We've already got a Tesco Metro within 5 mins walk of the site so No Tesco's.

MKC · Post by **MKC** » Thu Jan 10, 2008 9:30 am

their doing something there as there were quite a few diggers at work yesterday digging up the site?

tonyperks · Post by **tonyperks** » Thu Jan 10, 2008 11:39 am

It does seem stupid that this site was not used by EWS rather than the cramped site at barton hill I mean its very hard to get a good look at baton hill where-as TEMPS was perfect.

horace · Post by **horace** » Thu Jan 10, 2008 8:47 pm

Now theres another one, sell of the old barrow road shed site to the development corp and build a bingo hall. Then Ews are left to try and get into the little bit left. Just like what appears to be happening to bath road, with locos now being stabled in the station as there is no room.

When will railtrack learn that most of these sites were there for a reason. Busy railways need facilities. More passengers using rail now than in 1918. problem is the amount of rolling stock, locomotives etc. etc. must be at an all time low.

Now matter how you look at it, it just ain't going to work in its present state.

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