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The announcement of the latest phase of development at Ashton Gate Stadium has been welcomed by the Bristol Hoteliers Association (BHA).
The £100m investment will include a new sports and convention centre next to the existing Bristol City football stadium. Hotel owners and operators across the city have also backed YTL’s proposed extension of the Brabazon hangar in Filton as a world-class arena.
Imran Ali, chairman of the BHA said that the investment will “plump [SIC] millions of pounds” into the city and should be “welcomed with open arms” in order to attract new business into the city.
He said: “While a decision is yet to be made on the long-term future of the Temple Island site in the centre of the city, the news that two private investors are willing to pump millions of pounds into the city should be welcomed with open arms. We need to grasp this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. If not we run the risk of falling behind more progressive, forward looking cities in the country.”
Ali continued: “The BHA is completely behind Ashton Gate and YTL. There’s no doubt these exciting developments will progress quickly and within the proposed timescale - largely because they are in private hands and headed by people used to making make decisions.
“It will be interesting to see whether Bristol City Council will make the same progress with the proposed conference centre at Temple Island. With its track record, it’s unlikely that the city council will be able resolve the quandary about what to do with Temple Island any time soon. My fear is that leaders at the council will continue to procrastinate about what will happen to one of the main gateways into the city well in to the future.”
