A 1,500-seater state-of-the-art esports arena and creative technology education college is being proposed for Bristol.
Venue developer Northern Lights Arena Europe (NLAE) is working on plans for the facility at SGS College’s West of England Institute of Specialist Education (WISE) campus in Stoke Gifford, just outside the city.
The proposals include an extension of the existing site with a new education faculty of creative technology and esports education, and student accommodation. Plans also include an arena for esports with a global digital streaming capability.
The new faculty will work closely with the existing on-site Bristol Institute of Performing Arts, Bristol Academy of Media and the Bristol School of Art, and the other SGS Campuses, the college said.
Under the plans, the new development would open in September 2023.
According to SGS, Amazon Web Services (AWS) - a subsidiary of Amazon that provides on-demand cloud computing platforms - will design and deliver the tech for the new facility.
AWS will also create and help deliver the cloud-based education content provided by the new faculty, SGS said, allowing the education provider to deliver programmes remotely to classes at other campus locations.
Keith Hamblin, chief executive of the SGS Group, said: “This announcement is the next step towards a development that would put creative technology and esports at the heart of region.
“We have always prided ourselves on giving students education and training that meets the demands of the changing jobs market and as such, this investment with two leading organisations would put us at the forefront of one of the world’s fastest-growing industries.
“This private sector investment in the skills education of the West of England is a testament to the faith in the future of the creative sector in the South West as we emerge from the pandemic.”
Vital Energi, one of the UK’s largest independent renewable energy companies, will work with NLAE and SGS to deliver a zero-carbon energy solution for the new development.
Chris Turner, chief executive of NLAE added: “By working with SGS to deliver world-class, future proof digital education and esports training and events facilities, the proposed WISE faculty development will put Bristol and the South West firmly on the global esports map.
“Having been born in South Gloucestershire and graduated from Bristol University, it is a privilege for me to be leading a project that will deliver economic and employment opportunities for socially disadvantaged school leavers and a major re-skilling opportunity for Bristol’s existing workforce in the digital industries of the future.”
The WISE Campus is already planning to open a new £7million specialist technology and science building funded by the West of England Combined Authority (Weca) in March 2021.
This was the catalyst for NLAE’s interest in the site, according to SGS, which said it would provide "much-needed additional capacity" in the area as demand rises for digital technology.
