Lord Hall in capital to see BBC headquarters
THE BBC is at its best against media giants such as Netflix when it has strong roots in the nations and regions of the UK, its director-general Tony Hall said yesterday.
Lord Hall was in Cardiff to see the formal handing-over of the new £100m headquarters for BBC Cymru Wales in the centre of Cardiff at the Central Square development scheme.
With the external structure of the building completed on time by developer Rightacres, through main contract ISG, now will begin the fitout of the building, which will see it house the most advanced internet protocol broadcasting technology of any broadcast centre in the UK.
The first of the 1,200 staff from the public service broadcaster’s aging studios and headquarters in the Llandaff area of Cardiff will start relocating in autumn 2019. All staff are scheduled to be in the building, designed by Foster + Partners, in the first quarter of 2020.
Lord Hall said the investment, at around £100m, and its location, was the right decision – although approval for the project was never a given.
He said:“I left the BBC in 2001 and people at that stage were saying should we move away from Llandaff or not. I came back then in 2013 and people were still talking about that.
But it struck me we had to move out of Llandaff. The building is not appropriate for broadcasting in the modern age and you only have to look at the newsroom, which is split in all different ways.
“So we then had to go through all the various rigours of working out what you can afford and so on. We looked at a number of locations and this [Central Square] struck us all as being the very best. It is a statement, when you come off the train right in the heart of Cardiff, that you find the BBC and that is how it ought to be.
“I said that good design doesn’t cost more money than bad design and it has got to be a building that people in Cardiff are going to be proud of it. And that is what we have got and I am very pleased with it.”
The new HQ will also house part of the operation of Welsh-language channel S4C, which is moving its Cardiff HQ to a new location in Carmarthen. It will allow open access to around 80 creative industry sector firms.
Lord Hall said it would provide a significant boost to Wales’ strong creative industries sector, alongside firms such as Bad Wolf and its huge new studios in Cardiff Bay that is bringing a new wave of productions to Wales, including A Discovery of Witches and His Dark Materials, which is in pre-production.
Lord Hall said: “I love the fact that this is an anchor for others coming here and the economic impact report that shows a value added of more than £1bn [over the next decade] and the just under 2,000 jobs being created. I think this is a statement about the BBC in Wales, but it is also about the creative hub that is now Cardiff. We have Roath Lock [BBC Wales drama studios] and Bad Wolf. This is an extremely impressive media environment and I hope that us being here with S4C and others will really act as a magnet.”
He added: “If you look at what our position is versus the Netflixes and the Apples and the people with very large amounts of money, what is the BBC about? Well, the BBC is at its most brilliant when it has strong roots in the nations and the English regions. This is one place [Wales] where we have really strong roots and we are going to grow even stronger.”
Last month the UK Government confirmed that the small remaining amount it contributes to the budget of S4C will go entirely from 2022-23 financial year.
In this financial year and 2019-20, S4C will receive approximately £81.3m, with £6.8m coming from the UK Government and £74.5m from the licence fee.
The amount of funding it will receive entirely through the licence fee will be decided as part of the UK Government’s funding settlement negotiations with the BBC and S4C.
On that process and how the funding will be assigned, Lord Hall said: “I am not relaxed about it. I am passionate about our relationship with S4C – it matters. Their independence matters and our independence matters.
“It will part of the negotiation for the quantum of the licence fee in 2022, about how that is accounted for from the Department for Culture, Media & Sport. But that is for then and not for now.”
ISG’s regional director Jon James said: “The successful delivery of the BBC’s new headquarters in Wales exactly on programme is a stunning example of what our industry can achieve when it works collaboratively, embraces technology and innovation, and works towards a common goal.
“There is an amazing sense of pride from every single person involved in this project, knowing that the legacy of the BBC’s move to central Cardiff will impact our city for generations to come.”