Fears Bristol Arena will cause parking issues

A possible increase in capacity for the Bristol Arena has prompted concerns about parking problems in nearby neighbourhoods.

The arena, which is due to open in 2028 after delays, is set to be built by Malaysian firm YTL at the heart of its Brabazon development in Filton.

The firm recently announced plans to increase the arena's capacity from 17,000 to 19,500 - but this has caused concerns about transport.

YTL, which will have to secure planning permission to increase the capacity, says it will mitigate any potential problems.

The Filton arena was first announced in 2018 and its opening has already been delayed multiple times.

The plans include creating an outdoor cinema, ice rink and sports courts, as well as 6,500 homes across the wider site.

A new railway station is due to be built near to the arena, but its capacity and the frequency of trains may not be enough to accommodate all gig-goers.

YTL said an event parking scheme could be an option, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Councillor Mark Weston wants Bristol City Council to measure current parking levels to see if issues worsen.

"What I would hate for us to do is get the arena open and then go 'oh, we haven't monitored the parking'," he said.

"If we don't have a base to judge it against whether it's got worse, we're going to cause a problem.

"If we don't do the parking survey at some point, we'll never get it done."

Council officers said any future planning application from YTL would include assessing the transport impact on surrounding areas.

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