Confirmation that Scotland’s National Arena will definitely be built was received on Tuesday, 11 July 2006 when the Scottish Exhibition + Conference Centre (SECC) was granted full planning permission for the project from Glasgow City Council.

The SECC is already the UK’s largest integrated exhibition and conference centre and news that it has the go-ahead for the impressive £62 million purpose-built Arena has secured future business growth for the company and strengthened the City’s bid to host the 2014 Commonwealth Games.

The 12,500-seat Arena and the SECC’s current facilities constitute a major component of Glasgow’s Commonwealth Bid.

It is proposed that the entire SECC site will be used for events that include boxing, netball and weightlifting, whilst the new Arena will hold gymnastics and the netball final. The media village will also be located on site and temporary structures will be built in the car park to house the international broadcast centre.

Derek Casey, Glasgow 2014 Bid Director said: “This is fantastic news that couldn’t have come at a better time. The new arena has always been a key part of our bid and, now that it has been given the go ahead, it allows us to say with even more confidence that we will have the facilities in place to play host to the 2014 Commonwealth Games. With world class venues, a rapidly improving infrastructure and amazing people, we know that we can win the Friendly Games for the Friendly City.”

In addition to accommodating the games, the Arena, which has been designed by eminent architects Foster and Partners who also designed the SECC’s Clyde Auditorium, solves more pressing issues for the venue as Mike Closier, group chief executive of the SECC explained:

 “Hall 4 stages all the big name artists when they come to Scotland, but put bluntly, it is full and we are now having to turn away business by reducing the number of nights an artist is able to play or at worst, we are unable to accommodate them at all. Building this Arena is the only way to capitalise on the growing arena concert market and provide a platform for arena entertainment in Scotland.

“The concert-going public will be as pleased as we are that we have finally received planning permission for this amazing Arena. It really will be one of the best in the UK, if not Europe. Today is a great day for the SECC and we are delighted that our plans also have a positive impact on the City’s Commonwealth Bid.”

The Arena is at the centre of the SECC’s wider QD2 masterplan, which also received outline planning approval today*. It is anticipated that the Arena has the potential to inject £54 million into the local economy and create 1,500 jobs, adding to the £127.5 million and 3,720 jobs generated by the SECC at present.

The Arena will be situated towards the east of the existing complex where there is currently grade car parking. This will be replaced by multi-storey car parks in the first stages of construction in late 2006. The opening date for the Arena is projected to be 2010 and it will complement the existing buildings on the SECC site.