New arena launched by Malaysian PM

YTL Arena Bristol will be carbon-neutral and open throughout the year

The Malaysian prime minister has formally launched the UK's largest brownfield development, which includes a huge arena and thousands of homes.

The Brabazon new town, built by the Malaysian-owned YTL Group, will be based on the former Filton Airfield on the Bristol and South Gloucestershire border.

It will include 6,500 new homes, a 15-acre park, a 19,000-capacity carbon-neutral arena, three schools, and more.

Speaking in London during a launch event on Wednesday, PM Anwar Bin Ibrahim said a new trade deal between the UK and Malaysia represents a "golden opportunity".

The UK formally joined the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) in December 2024, enabling closer working between YTL in the UK and Malaysia.

Developers hope the new town, which is costing about £2bn to build, will be the most sustainable in the UK.

The formal launch was in celebration of a recent trade agreement between Britain and the Indo-Pacific region

The Copenhagen-inspired project is being designed to allow people to access essential services - workplaces, schools, shops, public transport and healthcare - within a 15-minute radius of their home.

Baroness Gustafsson OBE, minister for investment, was at the launch event and said "YTL's commitment is a huge vote of confidence in the UK".

"Seeing global investors put billions in the UK economy shows we are an investment destination of choice," she said.

The proposed layout includes 62 acres (25 hectares) of employment space

Francis Yeoh Sock Ping, executive chairman of YTL Group, said the company's takeover of Wessex Water in 2002 is a "shining example" of the benefits of collaboration.

"Investments by Malaysian businesses into the UK are not just about economic growth," he said.

"They reflect our commitment to nurturing partnerships that drive innovation, foster prosperity, and contribute to a better world for all."

About 300 homes have already been built at the Brabazon site, with a further 240 under construction.

Plans for the new development have been in the pipeline for about seven years.