Plans to turn Weston's Tropicana into a major music venue still up in the air
North Somerset Council announced earlier this month that Live Nation was ready to take over the Tropicana to run the former lido as a 10,000-person arena
Plans to bring the world’s largest entertainment company to Weston-super-Mare to turn a local landmark into a “major music venue” are currently up in the air.
North Somerset Council announced earlier this month that Live Nation was ready to take over the Tropicana to run the former lido as a 10,000-person arena. It would make the seaside town home to one of the largest permanent music venues in the south west.
But the council meeting on April 21 which had been due to sign off on the lease instead turned into a major row and ended up being adjourned. Council officers will now be attempting to renegotiate the lease with Live Nation, as much as they can, and bring it before councillors again when they meet next on May 12.
Councillors have been warned that this could be the last chance for the iconic Tropicana.
How did we get here?
Spending summer days at the Tropicana is a formative childhood memory for many Westonians.
Built on Weston-super-Mare’s beach in the 1930s, the beloved Tropicana closed as a pool in the 2000s and was almost demolished, but the move was blocked by Tory housing minister Eric Pickles. In 2015, Bristol street artist Banksy who used to swim at the Tropicana as a child, used it to house his Dismaland bemusement park in 2015.
It was the start of a new chapter for the Tropicana. Since then, North Somerset Council has run the Tropicana as an events space for hire but the building never covered its costs and was in dire need of repair. In 2023, North Somerset Council won Levelling Up funding from the government to turn it into a major “nationally significant” venue.
Plans had been approved last year to turn it into a 5,000-capacity venue, with a new building behind the pavilion to include a 1,000-capacity indoor venue. Despite some work having already been carried out, changing circumstances mean these plans are now “no longer deliverable.”
Instead, after Live Nation was named the council’s preferred operator after a procurement process, the event company proposed doubling the proposed capacity and making it a fully outdoor arena catering to crowds of up to 10,000 people. But the company also wanted to change the ownership structure and make the council responsible for repairs.
As the council considered the plans on April 21, chair of the council Clare Hunt said: “We have the future of the Tropicana in our hands tonight.” Council leader Mike Bell (Weston-super-Mare Central, Liberal Democrat) said the economic boost from the arena would be a “game changing” for Weston-super-Mare.
But the council cabinet member responsible for Tropicana, Mike Solomon (Hutton and Locking, Independent), was unable to support the plan and said he would abstain on the vote. Ultimately, no vote on the plans ended up happening as councillors instead decided to abstain and reconsider the plans at their next meeting, allowing council staff more time to try and negotiate a better deal with Live Nation.
So why were the “game changing” plans so controversial? Here are the pros and cons of the deal which councillors debated in the meeting:
Pro: A boost to Weston-super-Mare’s Economy
With a capacity of 10,000 Tropicana would be the biggest music venue for miles around — at least until Bristol builds its long-promised arena — putting Weston-super-Mare squarely on the map for major acts. The arena would be expected to attract big name performances, although one councillor admitted it was unlikely to be top A-listers like Beyonce.
Council cabinet member Mark Canniford (Weston-super-Mare Hillside, Liberal Democrat) said: “If we can do this, the positive effects to this town will be huge.”
As well as employment opportunities at the arena itself, the arena would regularly bring thousands of people to Weston-super-Mare who will be looking for places to eat, drink, and stay. Although he was abstaining on the plans, even Mr Solomon acknowledged: ”This will bring thousands of people to Weston. … It will bring a lot of money into our economy.”
Con: More disruption for locals
There is also a disadvantage to bringing thousands of people to the town: more disruption for people living here.
Events could bring a large amount of traffic to the seafront area, and the possibility of nuisance parking outside of people’s homes. The Tropicana is less than one hundred meters from the start of residential street Clevedon Road.
Large events, such as Weston Beach Race, already bring a huge amount of people to the seafront but these are largely occasional one-offs. Local councillor for the area Robert Payne (Weston-super-Mare Central, Liberal Democrat) said: “The Tropicana has to be a good neighbour to these people.”
New anti-terror legislation could also require large diversions on the seafront when events are happening at the Tropicana. Mr Solomon warned: “The whole promenade will be affected on event night.”
Con: Another Carlton Street Car Park?
Councillors main concern, however, was the risk of losing council taxpayers’ money on another hastily signed deal.
Live Nation wants to lease the Tropicana for 25 years but with North Somerset Council still responsible for some issues such as maintenance. This is different to how the council originally wanted the Tropicana operator to work, and not all councillors were happy about the idea.
Previous bad decisions locking the council into owning loss-making assets are still causing North Somerset Council financial issues. Tom Nicholson (Banwell and Winscombe, Green) said: “I am really worried that we are rushing into an agreement of commercial terms and we risk … a repeat of some of the issues we have seen at Carlton Street Car Park.”
The deal to acquire the (as it turned out) shoddily-built Weston-super-Mare car park in 2012 has been described as “the worst deal any council has ever signed.” It is losing the council about a quarter of a million pounds a year and it is locked into renting it until 2057.
At the same time, inflation and new anti-terror legislation mean the council could need to borrow £6m to increase its budget for the project, although this would be approved separately if needed. Mr Solomon warned councillors: “We have to be very mindful that when we commit to this, and when we commit to borrowing, that we know exactly what we are getting themselves into.”
Roger Whitfield (Portishead East, Portishead Independent) reminded councillors that they had only recently passed an exceptional 8.99% council tax rise, requiring the people of North Somerset to pay more to address a financial crisis in adult social care. He said the Live Nation’s plans sounded good but warned: “What lies beneath the surface is a whole mess of obligations which I believe the council cannot afford to take on.”
Pro: The Tropicana’s last chance?
Live Nation’s plan is the biggest proposal yet for what to do with the Tropicana — but councillors fear it could also be the last.
After decades of attempting to find a viable future for the Tropicana and with the previous plans now unaffordable, there is concern that rejecting Live Nation’s plans could leave the council without any options for the former lido. Mr Canniford told the council: “If we fail to sort this problem, we will just be another one of those failed councils we have seen for decades.”
Terry Porter (Hutton and Locking, Conservative) said that no operator would agree to take on the Tropicana if they had to be responsible for repairs. He said: “It’s a stone structure built on a sandy beach and regularly challenged by some of the highest tides in the whole of the world.”
In a speech during the debate where he urged councillors to approve the plans, he warned that there may not be another opportunity like Live Nation. He said: “I think this is the last chance for the Tropicana.”
What happens next?
Councillors will be asked again to approve the plans and grant the lease at their next meeting on May 12.
That gives council staff just three weeks from the vote to adjourn to negotiate better terms with Live Nation. Mr Porter said that councillors were in “cloud cuckoo land” if they thought that the council could renegotiate a contract in that time.
Mr Bell said: “I do not know what miracles can be achieved in those three weeks, given some of the concerns that have been expressed, but I think that feels like the right thing to do.”
If the lease is granted, Live Nation would manage the Tropicana for the next 25 years following refurbishment, with a programme of major outdoor events between April and October. The Tropicana would reopen in 2028.
North Somerset Council will meet in Weston-super-Mare Town Hall at 6pm on May 12.