Work begins on new BBC Cymru Wales HQ
Interior work is set to begin on the new HQ for BBC Cymru Wales in Central Square, Cardiff, with the keys to be handed over to DG Tony Hall today, 17 April.
The new broadcast centre will be fully occupied by 2020 with the staff at the current HQ in Llandaff due to move across once the internal work on the building is complete in late 2019.
The new site will be the most accessible BBC building in the UK, open to the public as well as creative sector partners.
More than 80 production companies will have open access to the building, with S4C also having a base there.
An economic impact study published by BOP Consulting has found that the decision to relocate – resulting in the biggest urban regeneration project in Wales – is set to deliver a £1.1bn boost to Wales, creating 1,900 additional jobs over a 10-year period.
The site has been developed by Cardiff-based Rightacres Property, with the support of Cardiff Council.
Hall said of the new location: “Central Square is a major milestone in the development of Wales’ creative sector. It’s a remarkable centre that will be a creative home for the BBC in Wales for generations to come.
“Alongside the major investment we’re making right now in Welsh programming - from Valleys Cops and Keeping Faith to Radio Cymru 2 - I believe this brilliant new centre will become a real magnet for new creative talent.”
After the fit-out, the 14,400 sqm site will be the first broadcast centre in the world to have a live IP core - meaning that it will have the most advanced technology of any broadcast centre in the UK.
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