Eqiuty, 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. The letter was sent to Bristol City Council’s strategy and resources Committee ahead of its meeting on October 14. This has highlighted the lack of transparency and engagement with all stakeholders in the sector, as well as the total exclusion of the mostly freelance workforce who rely on a thriving creative sector in the city for their livelihoods. 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 Bottle Yard Studios over the last 14 years has been almost unprecedented. The facility has created hundreds of jobs and attracted millions of pounds in investment.
Now that we are seeing a shift in the market for studios and a change in ownership models across the country, the time is right for the council to think about the best course of action for the facility. We’ve seen how the studios can be a major economic and social asset for the city, and a focal point of the UK TV and film industry. My colleagues and I want to look at how we can grow investment in Bristol and make it the best for the city.
“During this process, officers have carried out all the necessary due diligence including consultation with directly-employed staff and their union representatives as required by law. The committee will decide whether to retain the freehold or seek agreements with potential purchasers to secure the future of Bottle Yard as a TV and film studio. “
The facility was first opened in 2010 and underwent a significant expansion in 2022. Bristol Film Office figures show that film and High End TV production at The Bottle Yard Studios and on location in Bristol is now worth more than PS20m per year to the economy of the city. Bristol Film Office figures show that film and High End TV Production at The Bottle Yard Studios in Bristol and on location are now worth more than PS20m to Bristol’s Economy.
