£11.8m boost for Bristol studios

Bristol’s Bottle Yard Studios has been earmarked for a £11.8m expansion that will add three new sound stages to the facility in the south of the city.

The investment in the TV and film studios by West of England Combined Authority (WECA) will create additional facilities at the nearby Hawkfield Business Park totalling approximately 82,000 sq ft (7,600m²) of floor space.

As well as increasing the number of sound stages from eight to 11 there will be new production offices, prop stores, costume/makeup areas and break out spaces. Improvement work will also be carried out at the existing Bottle Yard site.

Marvin Rees, Mayor of Bristol, said: “The demand for screen content is growing worldwide. The expansion of the Bottle Yard Studios means we can harness this growth in the sector and continue Bristol’s success as a creative destination, ensuring local people and the city economy benefit long-term as we plan our recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.”

The development is expected to bring more production companies to the region and create up 1,000 new jobs over ten years.