Bristol Arena decision deferred over transport and parking

The proposed site for the car park is on Bath Road, near the arena

Councillors have deferred a decision on Bristol's planned £92.5m arena, amid concerns over transport and parking.

The 12,000 capacity entertainment venue, championed by Mayor George Ferguson, had been due to open in 2018.

But Bristol Council's development control committee said the plans were lacking in detail and were not ready for a decision.

Ahead of the decision, Mr Ferguson had said local workers and firms would be employed to build the arena.

The decision was deferred earlier on Wednesday. Among issues raised were parking problems for neighbouring residents and how Bath Road and Wells Roads could accommodate extra traffic

Gary Hopkins, leader of the Lib Dem group on the council, told BBC Radio Bristol: "If this was a private developer, it would never have got to the planning stage."

A sum of £28m has been approved for infrastructure works on the area called Arena Island, including demolishing