Equity, the UK performing arts and entertainment trade union, has called on Bristol City Council to rethink the sale of Bottle Yard Studios amid fears the facility would eventually be closed.
Bristol City Council owns the film and TV studios that has hosted productions including feature Hellboy and BBC drama series such as The Outlaws and Poldark.
The council said the sale is intended to “unlock greater investment opportunities, which cannot be pursued under council ownership”. It plans to sell the lease of Bottle Yard on a 10-year term, while retaining the freehold.
However, Equity – a union representing over 50,000 performers and creatives within the UK – has flagged concerns that a private sale could result in the studios being scrapped completely down the line.
“The workforce has a real concern that there are no guarantees to ensure the studios cannot be sold off for other purposes if there is a short-term downturn for whoever owns the Bottle Yard Studios in 10 years’ time,” said a statement signed by Ian Harris, vice chair of Equity’s Bristol and West of England Branch. It was sent to Bristol City Council’s strategy and resources committee ahead of a meeting on October 14.
Harris’ statement also noted: “Whilst the process for the sale of the Bottle Yard Studio leasehold started some time ago, the public awareness of this issue is relatively new. This has highlighted the lack of transparency and engagement with all stakeholders in the sector, and the total exclusion of the mostly freelance workforce who rely on a thriving creative sector in the city for their livelihoods.
“With this recent public awareness, we feel that this decision is now being pushed through and the complexities, costs, risks and opportunities of these options, where the council’s preferred option to retain the freehold and identify a purchaser for the long leasehold of the site and retaining the freehold interest, has not been fully tested.”
Equity has now been offered a meeting with Bristol City Council to further discuss its concerns.
Councillor Tony Dyer, leader of Bristol City Council and chair of the strategy and resources committee, said: “The Bottle Yard Studios began as a regeneration project aimed at stimulating economic and social benefits that could benefit the city whilst providing vital new facilities for the regional film and TV sector. The success of the studios over the past 14 years is almost unparalleled with the facility returning on investment many times over through the creation of hundreds of jobs through the sector and being a primary stimulator of millions of pounds of inward investment to the city.
“Now we’re seeing a change in the sector market and an evolution in the ownership models of studios across the country, it’s the right time for the council to consider the best future course for the facility. We’ve seen the huge potential the studios possess to drive economic and social value for the city and to be a focal point for the UK’s TV and film industry. What I and my colleagues on the committee now want to do is to explore how to grow investment and deliver the most for Bristol.
“During the process undertaken to date, officers have carefully and thoroughly carried out all necessary due diligence, including consultation with directly employed staff and their trade union representatives, as is the legal requirement. Subject to the decision of the committee, the clearly defined intention remains to retain the freehold and seek agreements with a potential purchaser to secure the long term future of the Bottle Yard as a film and TV studio. “
The facility first opened in 2010, and underwent a major expansion in 2022. It is the largest dedicated film and TV studio facility in the west of England. Figures from Bristol Film Office show that film and High End TV production at The Bottle Yard Studios and on location in Bristol is now worth more than £20m per year to Bristol’s economy.
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