Television Centre
05/02/2013 by Buildington

Stanhope and BBC launch masterplan vision for Television Centre

Stanhope and the BBC have today launched their vision and outline proposals to open up and transform Television Centre into a mixed use development including office and studio space for the BBC, complementary entertainment and leisure facilities, public open space, offices, housing and a hotel.

For the first time, Television Centre will be opened up to the public and the famous forecourt remodelled and enlivened by new retail, leisure and entertainment uses and access through the site providing connectivity with the local area, including Hammersmith Park. The BBC will remain at Television Centre operating studios and BBC Worldwide will consolidate their new home at Television Centre, following refurbishment. The remaining offices are aimed at occupiers in the creative sector providing new employment opportunities and there will be a variety of public uses, including a cinema, health club, restaurants and cafes, which will benefit the local community. The much loved listed buildings at Television Centre will be retained.

David Camp, chief executive of Stanhope Plc, said:

"Stanhope is working in partnership with the BBC to deliver a publicly accessible mixed use remodelling of these iconic buildings and redevelopment of the adjoining land. The BBC will continue to have a significant presence at Television Centre and we will be bringing new life into the site with new public routes, spaces and uses. We will be introducing a vibrant and exciting mix of new retail, leisure, office and residential uses whilst keeping and enhancing the famous original BBC buildings and retaining key operational BBC studio and office facilities on site. Television Centre will be a great place to live, work and visit."

The listed buildings and the remodelled forecourt, frontage and elevation of Television Centre from Wood Lane will be retained
The ‘inner ring' of Television Centre will be refurbished to provide space for a hotel and residential apartments
The current ‘Stage 4 and 5' buildings will also be refurbished to provide speculative office space, targeted at being a new media or creative hub for businesses in the area
The ‘Drama Block', ‘Restaurant Block' and Multi Storey Car Park on Wood Lane will be replaced with new residential buildings and townhouses and the ‘East Tower' will be replaced with a more slender and appropriately positioned residential building
A ‘Village Green' of town houses for families with private rear gardens will be created to the south of the site
There will be approximately 1,000 new residential units and townhouses in total, including affordable housing
RIBA award winning practice Allford Hall Monaghan Morris are Stanhope's lead architects on the project, supported by Macreanor Lavington and Duggan Morris

The Television Centre site is 14 acres and was the former site of the 1908 Franco-British Exhibition. It officially opened in June 1960 and was designed by the architects Norman and Dawbarn and appears to be like a question mark in shape. The central ‘ inner ring' of the building and the front flank of Studio 1 are Grade II listed as special interest and these listed elements of Television Centre will be retained and enhanced, including the instantly recognisable exterior view. The site has been expanded over the last 60 years and there are currently 1.6m sq ft of existing buildings dating from the 1950s-1990s, and operates as one building from a services point of view. The site is designated for employment, media/creative and residential uses in the GLA's White City Opportunity Area Planning Framework which also envisaged the opening up of the site. The uses identified for Television Centre will complement the other regeneration sites in the White City Area.

Stanhope and the BBC will be holding a public exhibition on the outline plans at:



Reception BBC Television Centre, Wood Lane, W12

5 February 2013 14.00 - 20.00

6 February 2013 10.00 - 20.00



Wood Lane Estate Community Centre, White City Close, W12

7 February 2013 16.00 - 20.00



White City Community Centre, India Road, W12

9 February 2013 10.00 - 16.00

Enquiries

For further information please contact Ian Lindsley on 020 7256 8912 or ian.lindsley@jeffersoncommunications.co.uk.



For BBC enquiries, please contact the BBC press office on 020 8576 1865.


Stanhope Plc bought the site in July 2012 for a guaranteed consideration of £200m and its funding partners in the transaction are Mitsui Fudosan and the Alberta Investment Management Corporation (AIMCo), who are both blue-chip, well-funded and experienced development partners. The BBC has leased back the site to Stanhope until 2015 and BBC Worldwide and BBC Studios and Post Production will be remaining at Television Centre in refurbished accommodation from April 2015 on long occupational leases. The remainder of the site will be vacated by the BBC and handed back to Stanhope in April 2015. A series of detailed and outline planning applications will be submitted by Stanhope and the BBC to the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham throughout the first half of 2013. Detailed planning applications will be submitted for refurbished BBC Worldwide offices in January (Stage 6) and for BBC Studios and Post Production (‘Studios 1-3') in March and an outline planning application will be submitted in April for the new offices, hotel and residential accommodation in the main buildings and for the ‘Drama Block', the ‘Restaurant Block', Multi Storey Car Park, ‘East Tower' and the town houses. Stanhope and the BBC hope to have made significant progress on planning by the end of 2013 in order to have vacant possession and start building work in 2015.

BBC Worldwide Limited is the main commercial arm and a wholly owned subsidiary of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). The company exists to exploit the value of the BBC's assets for the benefit of the licence fee payer and invest in public service programming in return for rights. The company has five core businesses: Channels, Content & Production, Sales & Distribution, Consumer Products and Global Brands. In 2011/12, BBC Worldwide generated headline profits of £155 million on headline sales of £1085 million and returned £216 million to the BBC.

BBC Studios and Post Production is a commercial subsidiary of the BBC, providing world-class studios, post production and digital media services. It works with broadcasters and media companies, making content for BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Five and Sky, from the award-winning Harry Hill's TV Burp and Deal or No Deal, to EastEnders and Strictly Come Dancing. It also preserves, re-masters and manages content through its digital archiving, restoration and distribution services and creates high-end visual effects.

Source: Stanhope Plc www.stanhopeplc.com 5. February 2013

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