The UK studio landscape is set for another shakeup with Bristol City Council pushing on with a decision to sell Bottle Yard Studios, where Sherlock, A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder and The Outlaws were filmed.
Bottle Yard is the only film and TV studio in the UK owned and managed by a local authority but the council of late has decided that it has “hit a glass ceiling” and should be sold, according to council leader Tony Dyer.
At an extraordinary council meeting last night, the amendment calling for a pause and delay to the sale was ruled out of order, and the long leasehold of the studio will now very likely be sold. The final decision on the sale will be considered by the committee at a later date and a separate amendment to bring sale plans back for scrutiny and a democratic vote once they are decided upon was agreed unanimously.
Actors union Equity has been leading a campaign against the sale, which it says will damage the thriving local sector and impact jobs. We understand an Equity official was present at the meeting and the union last week said it had sent more than 800 emails to Bristol City councillors calling for the sale to be delayed, following the launch of a campaign on October 10.
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But Bristol Council’s Dyer said the move will “unlock the potential of private investment,” which “has a greater chance of being realised and the opportunity for more jobs, economic returns for the city, and bigger and larger Bristol productions appearing on our screens.”
“The discussion we’ve had with officers and my fellow committee members has identified that despite the studios’ success, the current ownership model means it has hit a glass ceiling,” he added. “As the only local authority managed production studio in the country, certain opportunities are beyond the facility meaning the brakes are gently squeezed on the potential economic, social and reputational value The Bottle Yard Studios could deliver for the city.”
Bottle Yard opened in 2010 and with 11 stages has made a major difference to a flourishing Bristol sector. Productions to have filmed at Bottle Yard include A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, The Outlaws and Sherlock. Bristol is also a global natural history hub, where BBC Studios Natural History Unit and other rival indies are based. The city played host to the splashy Creative Cities Convention earlier this year where its merits were talked up by talent including Baby Reindeer’s Jessica Gunning and Big Talk boss Kenton Allen.
The move comes with plenty happening in the UK studio space. The £750M ($980M) James Cameron-backed Marlow Film Studios has been refused planning permission although the government is reviewing an appeal against this decision, while an Isle of Wight studio backed by Independent Talent Group founder Duncan Heath has been waived through. Meanwhile, Pinewood unveiled plans last week to launch a dedicated production hub to support filmmakers taking advantage of the UK government’s new indie film relief.
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