• Swindon & Wiltshire Property
• Thursday October 24 2024
• Author Name: Peter Davison

Part of BBC’s Broadcasting House in Bristol brought to market

Part of the BBC’s historic Broadcasting House at Whiteladies Road in Bristol has been brought to market with Lambert Smith Hampton.

The For Sale signs have gone up following BBC Studio’s move to a new city centre site at Bridgwater House and consolidation of the main BBC productions to part of the site.

The 3.2-acre site comprises a variety of listed buildings, more modern buildings, and a large car park to the rear.

The selling agents say that, subject to necessary planning permission, it could be suited to a variety of alternative uses and represents a prime opportunity in the city.

Roxine Foster, director at LSH, said: “This is one of the largest opportunities to hit the market in Clifton for several years and is likely to attract widespread interest.

“We look forward to working alongside the BBC to identify a party with an aligned vision for the long-term potential for this historic site”.

The existing site has been in operation since 1934 and was the largest BBC Studios production base outside London and was formerly home of the BBC’s Natural History Unit, responsible for shows such as Blue Planet, Countryfile and Springwatch.

It is currently the base for BBC public service programmes including BBC Radio Bristol, Points West, and a range of national radio output, including factual for BBC Radio 4.

The corporation says a combination of technological advances and changes in working practices have reduced the BBC’s requirement for a campus of this size, however the corporation remain committed to Clifton as a location.

By reducing their occupation of the site and selling part, they will be able to use proceeds from the sale to upgrade and improve the space they do occupy to ensure that it meets the needs of the corporation for many more years to come.

By reducing their occupation of the site, they plan to invest in and improve the space they do occupy to ensure that it meets the needs of the corporation for many more years to come.

A history of the BBC in Bristol

Bristol’s Lord Mayor officially opened BBC Bristol’s four studios at 23 Whiteladies Road on 18 September 1934. Each studio was designed for a different acoustic purpose: orchestral, drama, sound effects and “talking”.

Bristol’s role was transformed during World War II when the corporation moved its major departments out of London. The BBC Symphony Orchestra, school and children’s programmes, religion and variety teams – some 700 people – all headed West.

By 1940, six studios had been established at Broadcasting House on Whiteladies Road as the BBC eventually acquired the surrounding houses.

After the war, the BBC in Bristol developed some pioneering radio programmes, like Any Questions, which was first broadcast on the West of England Home Service in 1948.

In 1945, Desmond Hawkins joined the BBC and began producing a long-running series, The Naturalist. He went on to found the Natural History Unit (NHU) and discovered broadcasting legend Johnny Morris.

Regional news programme Points West began as a five-minute television news show in September 1957.

BBC Radio Bristol was established in 1970. The station’s original line-up included broadcasting greats Kate Adie and Michael Buerk.

In 1984, as the BBC celebrated 50 years in Bristol, a new building was planned adjacent to the site where those four studios first opened in 1934. The Network Production Centre, built on the corner of Whiteladies Road and Belgrave Road, is now the gateway to all the BBC units based in Bristol.

Following the closure of BBC Pebble Mill, Bristol became the home of many long-running programmes including Countryfile and Gardener’s World and Natural History Unit series such as Blue Planet II and the popular live Watches series (Spring/Autumn/Winterwatch). BBC Studios and the Natural History Unit moved to a new site at Bridgewater House in Bristol in 2022.

Source: BBC.com