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southbristolvoice March 2016 No. 10
www.southbristolvoice.co.uk
Pictures of fundraising weekend for Syria p20-21
ELECTIONS P4 | LETTERS P16 | PLANNING APPLICATIONS P36
Arena to cost £28m more – and there WILL be a car park DAYS before councillors are due to decide whether to grant planning permission to the arena, it has emerged that costs will be £28 million higher than previously stated. And despite insistence that there would be no large car park on the site, plans have been revealed for an eight-storey, 480-space car park to occupy the KwikFit plot on Bath Road. It also emerged that a hopedfor cycle route across Arena Island is not possible because the slope is too great, leading to fears that cyclists will use busy Bath Road. The council says the “extra”
Delivered: Your legal highs Page 3 Council to sell open space Page 5 New life in Wells Rd centre Page 6
Kwik-Fit: Multi-storey car park earmarked for the council-owned site £28m is not an increase – it is to pay for work not yet budgeted on Arena Island, such as the plaza. The arena itself is estimated to cost £95m. But a final budget has yet to be calculated by newlyappointed contractor Bouygues. The council’s assessment is that there is a high probability that “the arena programme is unrealistic leading to further delays and cost increases”. The council may also pay up to £8m towards the arena’s rates bill if the private operators, Live Nation and SMG, face a bigger than expected increase. All these factors are revealed
in the agenda for the council cabinet meeting on March 1. The development control committee will decide on the planning application for the arena building and an outline plan for Arena Island on March 2. “I’m very angry that the ward councillors haven’t been briefed on this at all,” said Deb Joffe, the Green councillor for Windmill Hill. She called the idea for a major car park on Bath Road “mad”. “They are going to get traffic queuing to get into the car park on that very busy road,” she said. It is possible that other city Continued on page 10
WIN Tickets to see top comic Page 14 Happy 40th to the City Farm Page 19 Knowle’s historic club Pages 24-25 Blitz tales of an ambulance driver
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