#TDS22 Guest Q&A: Ashton Gate’s Peter Smith

Ahead of TheStadiumBusiness Design & Development Summit 2022, we caught up with Peter Smith, Project and Asset Manager at Ashton Gate Stadium, to discuss plans for an on-site arena complex…

Last month, plans for a new 3,626-seat sports and convention centre next to Ashton Gate were approved by Bristol City Council.

The venue will serve as the new home of the Bristol Flyers basketball team, with the wider development to also include a hotel, conferencing facilities, a multi-storey car park, retail space, and commercial and residential space.

The first phase of the development will be the arena, alongside the hotel, with hopes to be on site in late summer 2023…

TheStadiumBusiness: What’s exciting you in the field of stadium design at present?

Peter Smith: “Sustainability opportunities – both embedded carbon and operational efficiencies. The global focus on sustainability and recent events in the energy market have surely focused the minds of everyone working in this field.

“Stadium designers and operators have a long way to go on these issues but the potential to inspire change and showcase solutions which have a positive impact beyond our footprint is very exciting.”

TSB: What’s in the pipeline for Bristol Sport/Ashton Gate over the next six to 12 months?

PS: “Our plans for the Ashton Gate Sporting Quarter have been ‘minded to approve’ by Bristol City Council and we’re now going through the next steps in the planning process.

“The Sporting Quarter will provide a new home for our group’s basketball team, the Bristol Flyers, to play at Ashton Gate alongside Bristol City FC and Bristol Bears Rugby. The plans include a new hotel which will be a huge boost to our events business.”

TSB: What are you most looking forward to about the Summit?

PS: “Face-to-face discussions with colleagues in this field. For us it’s a critical time to hear updates from others post-COVID and learn first-hand about new developments, especially in indoor facilities.”

Explore the future of stadium design with Peter Smith and 400+ stadium industry leaders – exclusively at #TDS22.

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