A moving experience

The BBC has formally confirmed that it wants to move out of London W12, leaving only BBC Worldwide and BBC Studios at Television Centre, and vacating the White City site as soon as possible after 2015.

The unloved White City One building is already being emptied, despite a refurb in 2009, with a view to sub-letting.  Next to go will be the Media Centre and the perimeter buildings, when Worldwide move into Television Centre, then finally, the Broadcast Centre. These buildings, designed by Allies & Morrison, only came into operation in 2004 - demonstrating the alarming fluidity/agile adaptability of the BBC's property strategy.

Those staff looking for certainty about their future destinations at that stage will not be reassured by new Director of Workplace and Safety Paul Greeves. "We will need to move another 1000 people out of W12. What we do with them is a decision that still has to be made. Salford and Birmingham have capacity, we could look at sites like Pacific Quay as well as buildings closer to London, like Elstree and Caversham. There are a range of options."

Mr Greeves left the Army in 2000 as a Lieutenant Colonel. He joined the BBC as Head of Safety for Journalism in May 2004, becoming Head of BBC Safety in 2008. He has an MBE, and an MBA.  In August 2010 he was on a package of £125k; his predecessor at Workplace, Chris Kane, left on a package of £310k.  Paul is not currently listed as a member of the BBC's Senior Management, though I am sure this is an oversight.