Council says selling TV studios 'not possible'

The council began exploring the sale of the studios last year

Plans to sell a council-owned TV and film studio are on hold after the potential purchase of the site collapsed.

Bristol City Council voted to explore plans to sell the Bottle Yard Studios in Hengrove in October 2024.

In a statement, the council has now confirmed that it has "not been possible to conclude an agreement" for the sale of the leasehold of the studios to an unknown buyer.

"This has been a necessarily lengthy process to ensure all possible factors are considered and that an extensive level of due diligence is carried out throughout," said councillor Tony Dyer, leader and chair of its strategy and resources committee.

"We entered into this process with the objective of securing a sustainable future for the studios and the opportunity to grow into its huge potential," he added.

"Those aims remain the same, as does our determination to ensure that one of our city's most successful regeneration projects continues an upward trajectory to deliver more jobs and more investment for Bristol."

The council said that the sale of the site had been under an exclusivity agreement to the preferred bidder for three months.

This time was to allow for "detailed negotiations and the drawing up of fuller proposals for the potential sale."

Bottle Yard Studios is the largest film and TV facility in the West of England, with shows such as The Outlaws, Rivals and Boarders filmed there.

The potential sale had drawn criticism from a performing arts and entertainment trade union over concerns around job losses.

"Bristol's film and TV sector forms a critical part of our local economy, providing a catalyst for new jobs, new investment and bolstering our city's reputation at home and abroad," said councillor Ani Townsend, co-chair of the Bristol One City Culture Board.

"I can say with confidence that a key element of the growth seen in the sector over the past decade and a half has been the role played by The Bottle Yard Studios in providing a home for Bristol-based productions," she added.

The studios will continue to operate as normal but the council said it had not ruled out selling them in the future and that officers would "now assess the various options open to us".

The film and TV industry was worth approximately £55m to the local economy in 2024, according to Bristol Film Office.