Buyers register interest in purchasing film studio

Bristol City Council are still debating whether to sell The Bottleyard Studios

A number of prospective buyers have registered their interest in purchasing a world-renowned TV and film studio, the owners have confirmed.

Bristol City Council, which owns The Bottle Yard Studios in Hengrove, is looking at options to sell the site due to changes in the film & TV market.

Councillors voted 5-3 in favour of finding a buyer of the long leasehold of the studio at a committee meeting on 16 September.

However, the meeting became embroiled in a row and some Labour councillors said they had missed crucial briefings because they were on annual leave.

The council plans to keep the freehold for the studios

The move to sell the studios will now have to come back to the strategy and resources policy committee for final approval if a sale is to be agreed.

Councillor Tony Dyer, Green Party leader of Bristol City Council, said the new owner will have to guarantee that it will continue to run as a production company for the next ten years.

"We're retaining the freehold which will give us control to ensure that it continues as a studio. What we're letting off is the leasehold," explained Mr Dyer.

The Bottle Yard has hosted filming for productions like Sherlock, The Outlaws and Poldark since it opened in 2010, and is a leading film and TV studio facility in the West of England.

Councillor Tony Dyer explained that the council would retain the studio's freehold

It is located across two nearby sites in the Hengrove and Whitchurch Wards in South Bristol and is the only council-owned and run production studio in the country.

Film and TV production is worth an estimated £20m to Bristol's economy, with The Bottle Yard Studios considered a key facility for national productions with a global reach.

"The reason why we're looking at the potential disposal of The Bottle Yard studios is precisely so that we do not become a hindrance to its future growth," said Mr Dyer.

"It has an opportunity to be an even better asset to the city of Bristol. In order to do that, it needs to be able to go out and attract investment and not be constrained by Bristol City Council's own finances."