Planning permission was granted originally in 1999 and was subject to extensive conditions and obligations including requirements to improve the accessibility of the site by public transport.
The obligation requires that the Green Travel Plan for the Arena addresses the following: -
- Specification of the rail services which shall operate to the railway station
- Provision of good coach parking facilities and access onto the highway network for coaches;
- Provision of good public transport information through the Arena site;
- Provision of well served and comfortable waiting areas to serve the railway station;
- On major event days the extension or diversion of bus services into the Arena site to/from the existing park and ride facilities at Memorial Park and Courthouse Green from/to Coventry City Centre and from other areas in Nuneaton and Bedworth;
- The offer to the public of the choice to purchase a season ticket for Coventry City football club and public transport to and from Coventry City Centre and the Arena site and the vicinity of Bedworth Railway Station and the Arena site as part of a single package.
In addition to the above the Arena must have used best endeavours to ensure that such transport options to and from the Arena other than the private car are available for public use so as to encourage 75% of visitors to the Arena to travel by means other than the private car.
The S106 agreement also contemplated that the railway station that was always an integral part of the scheme would not be available in time for the arena opening. This was expected to make only a limited contribution to modes of travel to events. However this halt will not be deliverable by the time the Arena opens August 2005 and therefore the S106 states that in the event of the railway station not opening a city centre shuttle bus operating from the Coventry City Centre and Bedworth Railway Station will be in place.