Council handed land for Bristol Arena by the government

The arena will be located on the former diesel depot site next to Bristol Temple Meads railway station and is set to open in 2017

Bristol's £91m entertainment arena has taken another step forward after the land for the site was formally handed over to the city council.

The agreement will also see £5.4m of government funding to the city to help develop other sites within the Temple Quarter Enterprise Zone.

Bristol's mayor George Ferguson described the deal as a "vital step".

Earlier this month Populous was chosen to build the 12,000-seat venue which is due to open in 2017.

The judging panel included the mayor, the council and the Royal Institute of British Architects

The company which is behind the London Olympic Stadium and the O2 arenas in London, Berlin and Dublin, was chosen from a shortlist of five.

The arena will be located on the former diesel depot site next to Bristol Temple Meads railway station.

The site was previously owned by the government's Homes and Communities Agency, which makes homes and business premises available to communities, and is part of a wider transfer of about £300m of land.