The proposed sale of the leasehold at the Bottleyard Studio in Bristol has been suspended, its owner, Bristol City Council confirmed.
Productions filmed in bottle yards over the past year include Netflix’s Agatha Christie thriller Seven Dial Mystery, Jonatan Etzler’s upcoming Toronto world premiere Bad apple Starring Saoirse Ronan and Daisy-May Cooper BBC Comedy Series Series 2 I’m irrational.
In October 2024, the Council approved a plan to sell loans for a 10-year term, “unlocking greater investment opportunities that cannot be pursued under council ownership.”
Priority bidders have been identified and for the past three months the council has entered an exclusivity period, allowing for detailed negotiations and the creation of more complete proposals for potential sales. The council refused to verify the identity of the bidder.
“We were unable to enter into an agreement on the sale of our studio loans despite giving them the expertise needed for this process,” the council statement said. The council refused to confirm exactly what the sales negotiations were quibosched.
Alternative options for selling leaseholds are considered, including councils to raise the funds needed to meet the necessary investments in the studio. The required investment figures appear as part of the option evaluation. As it stands, the bottle yard remains open for business.
“If an agreement is reached, I have asked them to make further evaluations of the options to maximize the value and benefits of the studio before returning to the committee with further recommendations.”
“We took part in this process with the aim of ensuring a sustainable future for our studios and ensuring opportunities to grow into its great potential. These objectives remain the same as our resolve to ensure that one of our city’s most successful regeneration projects continues its upward trajectory to provide more employment and more investment in Bristol.”
Fair concerns
Equity welcomed the news of a suspension of today’s sale. The British Performing Arts and Entertainment Trade Union has voiced against the council’s planned sale of shares of rental stock, expressing fear that, in private, studios could be scrapped as film and television facilities. Back in October, Equity also criticized “the lack of transparency and involvement with all stakeholders in the sector, as well as the complete exclusion of the almost freelance workforce that relies on the city’s thriving creative sector for its livelihood.”
Equity’s Southwest Regional Councillor Rachel Fagan said of today’s update: “We had regular and meaningful consultations with freelance creative workers and their union took place, and I think this painful process could have been avoided.
“Equity looks forward to working with the council to explore other options to ensure a sustainable future for our studio.
Bottleyard first opened in 2010 and in 2022 it received a £12 million expansion. The latest figures from the Bristol Film Office show that for the Bristol economy last year, film and high-end television production at Bristol Studios and Bristol locations is worth more than £46 million a year. This has increased the positive economic impact by 55% compared to the past 12 months.
(TagStoTRASSLATE) Studio / Facilities (T) UK / Ireland
