The Bristol Flyers will see the build of their new arena commence next year after a legal challenge, which delayed the start of the Ashton Gate Sporting Quarter, was dismissed by the High Court with no further right to appeal.
The Sports & Convention Centre – a multi-purpose 5,000-seater arena for the Flyers – will be built next to Ashton Gate stadium, with work expected to start in 2025. This will bring all sports under the Bristol Sport Group banner – football, rugby union and basketball – on one site in BS3.
Bristol Flyers CEO Lisa Knights said:
“This has been a long-time coming and Flyers cannot wait for it get started. Since 2018, when these plans were first unveiled, the sport of basketball has grown massively in the UK. 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.”
The Sporting Quarter was linked with the planning permission approved for almost 500 much-needed homes at Longmoor, including more than 150 affordable homes, half-a-mile to the south-west of the stadium.
At a hearing in the High Court, the Honourable Mr Justice Lavender ruled that there were no special circumstances which would allow local waste company ETM, to have more time after the legal deadline to challenge the planning permission for Longmoor Village, so dismissed the case. It has now been confirmed there is no further right to appeal, thus paving the way for the developments to progress.
Speaking on the ruling Martin Griffiths, Chairman of Ashton Gate Stadium, said:
“I’m delighted that the ruling in the High Court means that two very significant development projects for Bristol can finally be restarted.
“It has been hugely frustrating to have these multi-million-pound investments into South Bristol so delayed, but we are pleased that Justice Lavender dismissed the case, and we are now able to pick up where we left off a year ago.
“We have now re-started the project team for the Sporting Quarter and hope to break ground next year.”