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Broadcasting House, Salford Quays & TVC

(September 2010)

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GE
thegeek Founding member
Mike W posted:
I'm sure White City was owned by Red Bee, that might just be the Broadcast, Media and Energy Centres though.
Nope - they're all BBC buildings*. Red Bee occupy 2 and a bit floors of the Broadcast Centre.

* like many BBC properties, the ownership transferred to Land Securities Trillium, and then back to the BBC when that rather disastrous contract was terminated early. Someone tried telling me recently that they'd transferred them back to another owner, and lease them back, but they weren't able to tell me who...
IS
Inspector Sands
Mike W posted:
When the BBC first moved to the Mailbox, the idea was the BBC would slowly start occupying more space inside it to build more studios. What happened - nothing. I digress, the cost of renting Pebble Mill from Calthorpe Estates stood at £1,000 per year and the building was owned by the BBC, so nothing was out of the realm of possibility, it even had a house built in the back garden! The unions worked out that it was going to cost £30,000,000 over 10 years to renovate the exterior and interior and upgrade the facilities. Sadly the BBC had made their decision and ended up paying near on £15,000,000 per year for what is converted office space

Although they're not really comparable. The peppercorn ground rent wouldn't have been the only annual cost - there would have been considerable costs in running and maintaining a building that size. I've rented and owned and the latter is more expensive... I've no landlord to do all the expensive stuff for me now!

I'm not saying that the current situation is cheaper but it's not as simple as £1,000 vs £15,000,000.... if indeed that figure is correct.
MW
Mike W
Inspector Sands posted:
Mike W posted:
When the BBC first moved to the Mailbox, the idea was the BBC would slowly start occupying more space inside it to build more studios. What happened - nothing. I digress, the cost of renting Pebble Mill from Calthorpe Estates stood at £1,000 per year and the building was owned by the BBC, so nothing was out of the realm of possibility, it even had a house built in the back garden! The unions worked out that it was going to cost £30,000,000 over 10 years to renovate the exterior and interior and upgrade the facilities. Sadly the BBC had made their decision and ended up paying near on £15,000,000 per year for what is converted office space

Although they're not really comparable. The peppercorn ground rent wouldn't have been the only annual cost - there would have been considerable costs in running and maintaining a building that size. I've rented and owned and the latter is more expensive... I've no landlord to do all the expensive stuff for me now!

I'm not saying that the current situation is cheaper but it's not as simple as £1,000 vs £15,000,000.... if indeed that figure is correct.

Well quite, but the renovation could have reduced the costs of the heating and electricity, by making the building more efficient.
CH
Chie
Mike W posted:
I agree completely, the cost of moving completely outweighs the cost of staying, again.
Typical BBC, decisions made in London with no real thought.


The difference on this occasion is the BBC was forced to move a number of departments to Salford when the corporation's charter last came up for renewal in 2004. If it was entirely up to the BBC, I'm sure they wouldn't have chosen to move. Unfortunately they have no say in the matter.
NG
noggin Founding member
Inspector Sands posted:

Although they're not really comparable. The peppercorn ground rent wouldn't have been the only annual cost - there would have been considerable costs in running and maintaining a building that size. I've rented and owned and the latter is more expensive... I've no landlord to do all the expensive stuff for me now!

Though renting doesn't always guarantee a landlord will do all the expensive stuff either...
IS
Inspector Sands
Mike W posted:

Well quite, but the renovation could have reduced the costs of the heating and electricity, by making the building more efficient.

It's not so much the energy costs - you pay them whether you own it or not, although of course those costs for Pebble Mill would be much more than the Mailbox. They will be saving on costs like grounds maintenance, security, building repairs and upkeep, property tax, building insurance etc.

noggin posted:
Though renting doesn't always guarantee a landlord will do all the expensive stuff either...

It depends on the deal of course however any liabilities and costs incurred are shared amongst the tennants.
TR
trivialmatters
Here's a proposed plan for the regeneration of TV Centre as a joint venture, from the estate agency's website.

http://www.lsh.co.uk/bbctelevisioncentre/img/7247-Initial-IconicView-EarlyEvening.jpg
DJ
DJGM
Hmmm ... you could've posted that pic a bit smaller. Not everyone has widescreen monitors!
HC
Hatton Cross
Looks like a screenshot from the first storyboard idea for the Live and Kicking titles...

Ok - so it's Television Centre, but being a Grade 2 listed building there's very little you can do to the outside of it (although I notice the words BBC have been taken/airbrushed off the studio wall of TC1) Be nice to see exactly what the designer of the artwork has in mind, when he appears to have bricked up and glazed the central courtyard. And I guess (s)he invisages a café/shops on the right hand side of the building, near where the audience reception is.

My idea for a use. Move the TV bit of the Film and TV museum in Bradford down to TVC and use one of the smaller difficult to rent out studios and shove some of the technical exhibits in there.
JO
Joe
Hatton Cross posted:
I notice the words BBC have been taken/airbrushed off the studio wall of TC1.


Has it? I thought it was just covered up by the tree in order to leave it ambiguous...
SP
Steve in Pudsey
Hatton Cross posted:
My idea for a use. Move the TV bit of the Film and TV museum in Bradford down to TVC and use one of the smaller difficult to rent out studios and shove some of the technical exhibits in there.


No, let us keep the Bradford museum up here (moving something that was deliberately put out of London into a space that has become available due to moving it out of London is a bit perverse) but resurrecting MOMI there might be possible.
TR
TROGGLES
Inspector Sands posted:
Mike W posted:

Well quite, but the renovation could have reduced the costs of the heating and electricity, by making the building more efficient.

It's not so much the energy costs - you pay them whether you own it or not, although of course those costs for Pebble Mill would be much more than the Mailbox. They will be saving on costs like grounds maintenance, security, building repairs and upkeep, property tax, building insurance etc.

noggin posted:
Though renting doesn't always guarantee a landlord will do all the expensive stuff either...

It depends on the deal of course however any liabilities and costs incurred are shared amongst the tennants.


The cost for the Mail box do not include the running of the drama site for Doctors. This adds further Millions to BBC Birminghams budget.
Also anyone who has worked in a PFI or rented office space will know how difficult it can be getting a picture hung on the wall Smile

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