Council accused of 'fire sale' of film studios

Bristol City Council will consider plans to sell The Bottle Yard Studios in Hengrove on Monday

Plans to sell a council-owned film studios in Bristol have been criticised as a "fire sale" by a union.

Bristol City Council will consider plans to sell The Bottle Yard Studios in Hengrove when it meets on Monday.

However, performing arts and entertainment trade union Equity called for a pause and said there needed to be "transparency, scrutiny and accountability" before any decision is made.

The BBC has contacted the council for comment.

Bottle Yard Studios has hosted filming for productions such as Sherlock and The Outlaws

The largest film and TV studio in the west of England, The Bottle Yard has hosted filming for productions such as Sherlock, Broadchurch and Poldark.

Representatives from the union said they met a senior council official on Friday to discuss the proposal.

The union welcomed the meeting but said it "left many questions unanswered".

Rachael Fagan, a Bristol-based actress from the union, said: "The meeting confirmed many of our fears that proper scrutiny and accountability have not been applied to the decision around Bottle Yard Studios."

She said the city was proud of its status as a designated Unesco City of Film but the "importance of job creation for local and wider British productions" was not being considered.

"The current course of action feels like a fire sale and one that would rob Bristol of a valued asset of both cultural and economic significance," she said.