I daresay there was upset when the BBC moved our of Alexandra Palace, as there will be when it hands over the keys to Television Centre. To plug a £2bn funding hole it’s selling the iconic building that it’s occupied for the last half century.
What will happen then remains to be seen. It’s a prime site; it would be ripe for redevelopment. But at the same time it is an important piece of broadcasting history, and a valuable asset in terms of potential rental. A ready-built studio complex for just £300m. A snip, and a guaranteed earner for whoever takes it over.
With that in mind, and its iconic status, it’s unlikely it would be bulldozed, no matter how quickly the value of London flats is climbing. And, of course, in the BBC the new owners will have a ready-made tenant. It may be moving sport and childerns’ programming up to Salford, and news back into the centre of the city at Broadcasting House, but it’s still going to need a sizeable London studio base, and where better a place to rent than the complex it already knows so well?
Despite this, we shouldn’t be complacent. Television Centre is not only a landmark building; it’s also an important piece of our national history which, for the sake of us all, should be listed before it’s too late.
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