Salford bid wins BBC move north

On Thursday, Salford won the race to host the BBC’s new media zone. The Salford Quays site was chosen ahead of Manchester’s Central Spine after the BBC’s Board of Governors decided it was the best location for the £400m move north.

A number of final site issues remain to be resolved and the race could re-open if Salford fail to satisfy them.

But providing those are met, five departments and around 1,500 staff posts are due to transfer to Salford’s Media City from London in 2010.

The governors authorised the BBC North Project team to treat Salford as the “leading bidder” with a view to them becoming the “preferred bidder” provided the outstanding issues can be resolved.

They say this marks a significant step forward in realising the vision of a less London-focused BBC.

Futuristic

Around 800 BBC staff at the existing Oxford Road HQ will also move to the futuristic 200-acre site on land owned by Peel Holdings, owners of the Trafford Centre shopping mall.

The Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) said the move to Salford Quays would have a huge impact on the area's economy. It was put forward as a modern city with its own attractions.

Close to The Lowry arts centre and Imperial War Museum, it will include shops, apartments, public squares and another bridge across the Manchester Ship Canal.

Other major media and technology companies will also be asked to join the BBC as partners on the new site.

Final issues

The BBC Project North team will now take forward their plans in detail with both Salford city council and Peel Holdings, including work to resolve the final issues raised by the govenors.

BBC Sport, Radio Five Live, Children’s BBC, New Media and Formal Learning are all due to move out of the capital and make their home in Salford.

Manchester’s rival Central Spine bid on land between the Mancunian Way and Whitworth Street promised a “heart of the city” location with a mix of new buildings and public spaces, along with studios, cafes, shops, restaurants and hotels.

Both sites were examined in detail, with the costs, benefits and affordability of each location taken into consideration by the governors.

Go-ahead

But the final go-ahead for the move still awaits a government decision on the new licence fee deal, not due until October at the earliest.

BBC director-general Mark Thompson had made clear that the Greater Manchester move, along with all his other plans, depends on a satisfactory deal.

The governors say their final decision on the move will be based on two key factors - whether it represents value for money for licence fee payers and the affordability of the project. They also stressed that a final decision cannot be taken until after the licence fee settlement is known.

BBC bosses have made no secret of the fact that they would welcome ITV Granada as a partner in their media zone if it gets the final go-ahead. That could even involve Granada quitting their current Quay Street site to move to the new Salford Media City.

BBC urged not to play games over big move

manchestereveningnews.co.uk

Thu Jun 22

0