DG Tim Davie has stretched his 're-imagining' skills to their limit, planning to move BBC Birmingham from the perfume/fashion/luxury goods setting of the Mailbox, a mile or so east, to the dilapidated Typhoo warehouse site in Digbeth in 2026.
It's an odd looking deal - the site was available for temporary rental just a matter of months ago. We note the 'transformation' is an uncredited artist's impression. The Gooch Estate are the owners of ten acres around the warehouse, which closed in 1978. They have been in legal discussions with the Government about how the proposed HS2 interchange at Curzon Street will work since 2014. The site was talked about as a Birmingham City University campus in 2016, with a £14m Government Grant fixed by Sajid David - project STEAMHouse, part of a 'Midlands Engine'. In 2017, developers Stoford were brought in, and a £200m proposal including Grade A office space, SME business incubator space, bars and restaurants, artist studios and homes seemed to be emerging.
We note this caveat: "The announcement of the BBC’s preferred development site - which has been approved by the BBC Executive and BBC Board - is subject to concluding legal agreements over the coming months."
More as we get it...
So might end possibly the most disastrous of the many disastrous decisions made by Mr Kane, who never seems to have obtained any grasp on what is required of a Broadcast Centre.
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