Global facility management giant SMG, in partnership with Live Nation, has been named as the preferred bidder to operate the 12,000-seat Bristol Arena when it opens in 2017.

The Bristol Arena, set become the UK’s largest indoor arena, will be located at an old oil depot site near the city’s Temple Meads Station and is expected to cost around £95m to build.

A multi-use venue, the arena will be capable of hosting a number of sporting events as well as large-scale conferences and concerts. The arena is part of a wider Allies and Morrison masterplan for the area.

Naming an operator now opens the door for Bristol City Council (BCC) – which is leading the project – to begin pre-application discussions with the local community. A planning application is expected to be filed later in 2015.

Based in the US, SMG currently operates arenas in Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle and Belfast as well as several UK theatres through its SMG-Europe subsidiary. It also manages two venues in Germany and one in Poland.

Wes Westley, SMG President and CEO, said: “We think the Arena will be a fantastic venue for future entertainment and community events.

“This unique partnering of global giants Live Nation and SMG will ensure that the Arena is operated at a world-class level with top events for Bristolians and the South West. We look forward to establishing long-term relationships with the council, stakeholders and the community creating exciting times ahead.”

In November 2014, BCC announced a shortlist of five from which a team of architects will be chosen to design the arena.

The multi-disciplinary design teams to have been shortlisted were:

• Grimshaw, MANICA Architecture, Thornton Tomasetti, M-E Engineers and Neil Woodger Acoustics
• A consortium of; Populous / Feilden Clegg Bradley / Buro Happold / Vanguardia
• White Arkitekter with Arup
• Wilkinson Eyre with Arup
• IDOM (in collaboration with Foreman Roberts and Nagata Acoustics)