The Bristol film and TV production studios where Stephen Merchant's The Outlaws and Chloe starring Erin Doherty were filmed is to undergo a huge expansion into a neighbouring industrial estate.
Work is underway at Bottle Yard Studios on Whitchurch Lane for a £12m redevelopment that will add three new stages.
Backed by West of England Combined Authority, the expansion is expected to complete this summer and increase the number of stages on offer at The Bottle Yard Studios from eight to 11.
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The Bottle Yard Studios is the largest dedicated studio facility in the West of England and a major hub for film and TV production.
More than 25 businesses are based on site including equipment rental companies Film@59 and Cine West, Bristol Costume Services, which offers more than 90,000 items for hire, and University of Bath-funded CAMERA, a key partner of the £46m MyWorld project led by the University of Bristol to position the South West as an international trailblazer in screen-based media.
Global construction specialists ISG have been contracted by Bristol City Council to convert the industrial property at Hawkfield Business Park, less than half a mile from the main Bottle Yard site, into three new sound stages.
Measuring 20,000 sq ft, 16,000 sq ft and 7,000 sq ft, the filming spaces will be accompanied by ancillary spaces including production offices, prop stores, costume/makeup areas and break out areas.
Operations at The Bottle Yard’s main site have also been boosted by a further £1.6m investment by Bristol City Council in renewal and repair works that will make the Studios’ existing buildings fit for purpose for the facility’s ten-year business plan.
Overall, the investment in the current site and new studio provision at Hawkfield Business Park is expected to create 135 jobs during the refurbishment with a further 863 jobs created over the next 10 years through an accompanying Workforce Development Programme focused on high-end TV skills and targeting development of new talent in South Bristol.
Dan Norris, Mayor of the West of England says: “I’m incredibly proud of the investment that the West of England Combined Authority I lead is making here.
“It’s a fantastic space and the progress in getting it ready is remarkable. The expansion of The Bottle Yard studios sends a strong message that our amazing creative sector here in the West of England is thriving.
“So many talented people are helping put our region on the national and international map as a go-to location for the film and TV industry. Three new stages will mean even more of our favourite shows like The Outlaws, Poldark and Showtrial can be filmed here.
“This vote of confidence in the West of England will create a thousand high skilled jobs and should help us to attract even more production companies. I look forward to watching lots of new shows hit our screens, and I’ll enjoy them even more knowing they are made in the West of England.”
Laura Aviles, Senior Film Manager for Bristol City Council responsible for The Bottle Yard Studios & Bristol Film Office, says: “This expansion is big news for Bristol’s film and TV sector.
“Upping The Bottle Yard’s stage count from eight to 11 at a time when space for filming is at a premium, means we can welcome more of the productions we know are keen to film in Bristol, a city that saw a 225% increase in filming in the first quarter of the current financial year.
“We’re making sure Bristol seizes the opportunities presented by the UK production boom with both hands, so that local crew, companies and new generations of talent can reap the benefits in employment, business and skills development.”
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