Roath Lock

The BBC’s Roath Lock Studios in Cardiff have opened in record time.  In just 13 months, 175,000 square foot of HD-ready studios have been constructed and fitted out to provide a permanent, purpose-built home to four flagship BBC dramas – Casualty, Pobol y Cwm, Doctor Who and Upstairs Downstairs – as well as new productions in the future.

This is the quickest BBC build of its size ever and marks an exciting new chapter for drama production in Wales.  BBC1’s Casualty began its move from Bristol to its new set in Cardiff at the start of the month and by Christmas the facility will be full with 500 to 600 people working on site.

Congratulations to all those involved with the construction and fit-out.

A new £2.5m bridge linking BBC Wales' new drama village to Cardiff Bay has been lifted into place.

It is the latest stage of work at the Roath Lock site, which will be home to dramas Casualty, Pobol y Cwm and Doctor Who, as well as future commissions.

BBC Wales currently produces drama at sites including Llandaff in Cardiff and Upper Boat, near Pontypridd.

The first filming is due to start at the drama village in the autumn.

The bridge was broken down into 12 pieces to allow transportation to Cardiff Bay from where it was manufactured in Newport.

Keith Jones, director of BBC Wales, said: "This innovative bridge will be a gateway for the creative industries in Wales, bringing world-class productions to the heart of Cardiff and taking Welsh-made content to the UK and beyond."

The 170,000 sq ft (15,800 sq m) Roath Lock site is equivalent to the size of three football pitches.

Porth Teigr is a joint venture, formed in 2005, between igloo and the Welsh Assembly Government.  The venture is responsible for developing 38 acres of land - on the south side of Roath Basin in Cardiff Bay - for an environmentally sustainable mixed use development including commercial, retail and residential space. It represents one of the most significant waterfront developments in the UK and will transform the last major derelict site in the Inner Harbour area to create more than 1 million sq. ft. of commercial development space and over 1,000 new homes.

The name, Porth Teigr, evokes the spirit of Tiger Bay and pays homage to the history of the site and Cardiff's proud past as the busiest port in the world during the 19th century.

The plans to create a vibrant new commercial and residential community at Porth Teigr are already underway and will complete the final piece in the Cardiff Bay Inner Harbour jigsaw by transforming the last piece of brown field land in the area into a 21st century environment. It is anticipated that the redeveloped site will ultimately provide opportunities for some 4,000 jobs. The redevelopment will include some 200,000 sq.ft of leisure and retail space as well as a range of housing, including affordable units, which will be amongst the first in the UK designed to give flexibility of spaces, to enable adaptation for lifestyle changes, developed from the experience of the best designers across Europe. Two dry docks will be flooded to help give the site more than 1.6 miles of uninterrupted waterfront, much of which looks across Cardiff Bay towards the Wales Millennium Centre and the  Assembly debating chamber.

The centrepiece of the development is the new 170,000 sq foot drama production studio complex for the BBC at Roath Lock. This is one of the largest investments in new drama facilities of its kind in Europe, bringing new jobs and opportunities for growing businesses across Cardiff and South Wales.  Extensive infrastructure and public realm works including a new bridge linking the site to the remainder of the inner harbour are nearing completion and will enable access to the new BBC Roath Lock Studios. The studios are due for completion by autumn 2011 and will be home to Doctor Who, Casualty, Pobol y Cwm and Upstairs Downstairs. Casualty starts filming on site in September.

The Welsh Assembly Government and igloo are also in the process of creating a new Digital Media Centre (DMC) at Porth Teigr.  Plans have already been submitted for the new 40,000 sq ft Digital Media Centre which will provide opportunities for small, high growth businesses and freelancers and provide affordable infrastructure to stimulate and support a cluster of small, high value creative businesses. The DMC is  due to commence on site in November 2011 and be ready for occupation towards the end of 2012. The Digital Media Centre will help support the Creative Industries sector in Wales with the capacity to accommodate 400 people, and igloo hopes the plans will bring about a new ‘creative hub' in the region where like-minded businesses can interact and work more closely together.