In October 2024, members of the council’s Strategy and Resources Committee considered a report from officers regarding the options for the future of The Bottle Yard Studios based in south Bristol. This report followed a direction given by the previous administration to investigate the options for the future ownership model of the studios in the face of a changing film and TV studio market. Members of the committee agreed to explore the option of identifying a potential buyer for the leasehold of The Bottle Yard Studios.
In the eight months since that decision, work has been carried out to market the studios, meet with prospective bidders and evaluate bids. For the last three months and following an evaluation of the bids received, a preferred bidder was identified, and the council entered a three-month exclusivity period to allow for detailed negotiations and the drawing up of fuller proposals for the potential sale.
During this period, the necessary time and space was allowed to ensure robust due diligence could take place and the negotiation of a lease and business transfer agreement could mature. Despite giving this process time and the expertise required, it has not been possible to conclude an agreement for the sale of the leasehold of the studios.
Councillor Tony Dyer, chair of the Strategy and Resources Committee at Bristol City Council, said: “I’m grateful to officers who have engaged with and undertaken the detailed process of taking the studios to market and negotiating on a potential sale with bidders. This has been a necessarily lengthy process to ensure all possible factors are considered and that an extensive level of due diligence is carried out throughout. In the absence of an agreement being reached I have asked that officers conduct a further appraisal of the options for maximising the value and benefits of the studios before returning to our committee with further recommendations. We entered into this process with the objective of securing a sustainable future for the studios and the opportunity to grow into its huge potential. Those aims remain the same as does our determination to ensure that one of our city’s most successful regeneration projects continues an upward trajectory to deliver more jobs and more investment for Bristol.”
Councillor Ani Townsend, Co-chair of the Bristol One City Culture Board, said: “Bristol’s film and TV sector forms a critical part of our local economy, providing a catalyst for new jobs, new investment and bolstering our city’s reputation at home and abroad. As someone who works in the stage and screen sector I can say with confidence that a key element of the growth seen in the sector over the past decade and a half has been the role played by The Bottle Yard Studios in providing a home for Bristol-based productions from which companies can access high quality facilities and tap into the broad range of expertise based in the West of England. It’s vital that if we are to continue to see the film and TV sector deliver positive social and economic benefits for Bristol then we must maximise the potential of the studios. I look forward to engaging with officers, partners and fellow councillors in the next steps for the studios.”
Whilst further appraisal of options takes place, The Bottle Yard Studios remains fully open for business and continues to support film and TV production in Bristol. The facility, based in Hengrove, is the leading film and TV studio facility in the West of England and is a cornerstone of Bristol’s UNESCO City of Film designation. From its establishment in 2010 and following over a decade of steady growth and investment – which included the Studios’ expansion in 2022 – the facility now stands as a key piece of national film & TV production infrastructure with a global reach.
Bristol has developed into one of the most filmed cities in the UK since the opening of the Studios and its close partnership work with the Bristol Film Office ensures that locations across the city regularly feature in primetime TV shows and feature films. Latest figures from Bristol Film Office show that film and High End TV production at The Bottle Yard Studios and on location in Bristol was worth more than £46m per year to Bristol’s economy last year. This marks a 55% increase in the positive economic impact compared to the previous 12 months
