This can only be good news really- if it's accurate and the truth hasn't been embellished. I wasn't even aware that the site was up for sale.I'd presumed that Igloo would be holding on to their investment.

Before we get too carried away - have a look at the new BBC Salford studios. We're not quite there yet!
BBC Salford studios

News on Porth Teigr today:

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/2011/06/20/new-plans-revealed-for-porth-teigr-development-in-cardiff-bay-91466-28904863/

Seems there is going to be a detailed application for 70 "new homes", probably apartments rather than houses. There is also talk of a (pretty small) 4 star hotel with 40 - 60 rooms. This looks like it will rely heavily on the BBC studios and media village for its clientele. And the media incubator could be joined by a second building given strong demand.

Theres a photo there but as always with Walesonline its small and of terrible quality.

The bit about a potential for a second media building is interesting.

Cardiff has posted some great images on this on the Skyscrapercity forum. I hope they don't mind be borrowing them for here, so please find them below :

Lights on the BBC Drama Studios



Progress on the new bridge





I love this one, even though it's just an artists image of the whole thing...you can get a wider view of it on the forum itself http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=605634

That's a brilliant visualisation - but for those of us who know the existing buildings, they seem to have reduced Ocean Reach (the flats next to St Davids) from ten to just four or five storeys. Is this artistic license, or do they know something the rest of us don't?

I dont mind the reposting, still unsure of the lighting, love the reder, it gives a real idea of how vibrant this area could be. Was having drinks in saint davids hotel today on the terrace, some tourist were discussing the bay and got onto the new BBC studios, they figured it was a storage shed with a fancy front and they seemed to have no idea there was a port behind the BBC studios. Also see alot of people walking to the barrage through the development and docks, and then turning around before they get to the barrage itself thinking its just scruffy land. Maybe a excuse us while we are upgrading poster would be good, as the barrage is beautiful once on it (a grassy beach by the bay).

I love the lighting. We need more of that in Cardiff. How great would it be if Lloyd George Avenue was turned into a Welsh version of Sunset Strip? Casinos, strip joints, rock clubs, legalised weed

its a great view of what shpuld be there, but the fact that the bbc sheds are missing for a start shows its just a wish list, i have older plans of an artificial beach on the left too.
still think it was wrong to put beeb production studios like this there, prime land for essentially a shed, where else in the world would that happen.

Eric - The BBC studios are not missing from that model.

Lucky - the 'Ocean Reach' development is not shorter - it's just not there at all! The smaller building is the old Sports Cafe unit. My guess is that they used an old cgi model which was created before 'Ocean Reach' was built, and they have added the Roath Basin masterplan development onto it.

I see that the semi-mythical back bit of the WMC is also included....

I cycled past the red bridge earlier today (note the Bay car driving over it on the model ) - it's a bit underwhelming to be honest. The old lock keepers cottage looks like it is staying there. It has a new roof and fenestration and looks quite quaint.

Not sure about the lighting. Seems very Americanised to me.

CardiffBus are installing new bus stops on BOTH sides of the road behind the WMC as I write - so I guess that the proposed new route for the Baycar is coming very soon (possibly clockwise and anticlockwise).

On a separate note, I notice that the view of the new BBC studios from Roath Basin is disappointingly half obscured by 2 metre high banks of rubble near the water's edge. I've a feeling that this is going to remain until development of this spot in a few years time....

so the beeb studios are the lower rise buildings behind the higher rise buildings on the waters edge??? if so, sorry, i thought the beeb stuff was that close.
still wouldn't have put studios there......alas poor valleywood, how i miss what could have been

I went to the new studios yesterday, took a few pictures (obviously none of any "sensitive" filming areas)

A slightly different view of Assembly Square:


The Bay and new access bridge from the same window:


The paving being used on the external (public) road:


New bus stops installed, with adverts already!


A directional totem pole thing is installed outside the main BBC reception - all arrows point towards the new bridge,


A look inside one of the many open plan offices:


And finally, if you think that facade looks terrible, here's how it looks from a few of the windows.

I echo what Wizard posted a few days ago. That rubble needs to go, pronto!

Great photos btw.

Does anyone know if there are any plans to tidy up that rancid looking pool of water which fills the gap between the actual Bay and Roath Basin (the bit which was parallel to the Tube)?

There is a danger sign stating that algae can grow in that area so people should stay away.....

It's hardly the kind of thing that you want to see as a first impression as you enter this new media zone is it!

I was wondering whether all that rubble might be thrown in there to fill it up - or is that a dumb-assed idea?

Yes i was thinking the same about that algae pond also.
Is that new bridge able to move to allow boats through? And are they planning to remove the old bridge, the locks etc to open it all up.

Was there yesterday and was impressed by how much has been done so far.

I see boats in the model of the area though? And that lock looks so awful it must be done, surely with such a big client nearby.

Can boats get in via the other side? Through Queen Alexander and Roath docks? For use once in a while?

Boats can get in from the dock side quite easily*.

The private pleasure boat images are essentially just artists impressions guff. I've only ever seen one private tiny rowing boat in here in the twelve years that I've been living here.

*Remember that the war ships and the floating libraries etc dock in there all the time.

It's a great location for barge homes in my opinion.

I agree but I suspect that the powers that control these things would be averse to such am 'alternative/funky' mode of living.

It would be a bit too removed from the 'bland and Bellway' style that ticks the planners and the corporates interests. No doubt they'd dish up some sort of convoluted security issues (re: the warships docking there) or health and safety concerns etc.

The barge idea is fab. Roath Basin itself does seem underutilised at the moment. There is a danger of it becoming little more than a 'water feature' like the Bute East Dock.

On a follow up note (to my posting above) about Cardiff Bus building new bus stops behind the WMC for the Baycar....I've received a letter from the management committee telling residents that the bus stop outside Celestia is going to be discontinued from the start of September!

If this is true then the Baycar would presumably not now stop on Pierhead St outside the 800 plus apartments at Adventurers Quay/Celestia.

That would be quite astonishing if it is true. Does anyone know if this is to be the case? There's nothing on cardiffbus's website about this.

If it is true then I think that it should also miss out the loop which takes the council employees to County Hall and see how that goes down!

I'm presuming that both are going.

Yay, doctor who exhibition is given the go ahead. Defo will be visiting that.

When will the ballon be ready?

But surely Adventurers Quay and Celestia are as close as anything new that might be built, so I don't see why this should be a problem. The water in the basin doesn't appear to be stagnant. Is there another stretch of water they are referring to?

Yes, the bit that is blocked between the lock and the damed bit further along, near where the new bridge area is.

Rather exciting that the main street of the Pobl y Cwm set can now be seen poking above the wall of Roath Lock studios. The more I see it the more I like the functional, but slightly crazy, design of the new centre.

Are they intending on running tours of the studios ?
When you think of the number of dramas that will be filmed there it would an interesting attraction for the bay.

A studio tour would be a big pull for the bay and Cardiff for tourists, depends how much down time the studios have I guess. The increased schedule for Corrie was why the Granada studios tour was closed in the end.

They aren't planning to do any tours

Which is fair enough, as essentially it's just a factory for making Tv programmes.

I'd be annoyed if there was a kind of strict, no tours ever policy. They should try and do one monthly or something.

BBC Wales already does tours of BH Llandaff for pre-arranged groups.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/info/sites/tours/

The same goes for all main BBC sites. They have professional tour-guides with any profit going to Children in Need.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/showsandtours/tours/index.shtml

It would be very odd if they didn't do something similar in Roath Lock once its fully operational. What's unlikely is a "turn up and tour" operation.

Presumably with the bridge now opening for the buses then this means that anyone can walk across there? Looking forward to seeing the buildings close up - a new bit of Cardiff to explore!

The bridge hasn't opened just yet, but the pavement/walkway after it is open.

I must say that I like the paving stones that they've used. They are red brick but are slimmer than the usual red brick types that you often see. The plants and trees are also nicely done. A bit different to the usual landscaping. They look a wee bit like something you'd expect to see growing in a very hot climate - I hope they don't die from the driving wind and rain from the estuary!

From Broadcast Magazine

http://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/news/broadcasters/bbc/bbc-hopes-to-attract-rivals-to-cardiff/5034247.article

BBC hopes to attract "rivals" to Cardiff4 November, 2011 | By Catherine Neilan

The BBC’s newly-completed drama village in Cardiff could be expanded to include other broadcasters and indies in a similar way to MediaCityUK, Mark Thompson has hinted.


Speaking at the Cardiff Ambassadors Dinner, the director general called on the industry to put aside “petty rivalries” to ensure the success of out of London production by “co-siting with our traditional rivals”.

“The days are gone when the creative industries can afford petty rivalries between broadcasters and producers when it comes to the task of building a world-class creative hub,” he said, noting that with Sherlock being filmed in Wales “we’ve already had a hint of what such collaboration can bring about”.

Thompson added: “There are many people here who believe that the BBC drama village at Roath Lock should only be the start of a much bigger vision – for a media capital either alongside this or on another site, along the lines of what we and others are creating in greater Manchester.

“And here just as there, the thought is that the BBC would be at its heart as an anchor-tenant and creative guarantor, but perhaps sharing a common site with other Welsh broadcasters, producers and indeed people working in quite different, but complementary disciplines. The vision for Salford began with the BBC but now includes not just ITV, but independent producers, broadcast resource companies, universities, academies and many others.”

However with the BBC’s current financial situation, Thompson admitted the corporation had “very limited” ability to embark on any major projects, but said this did not have to stop him from “sitting down with other stakeholders over the coming months and years to explore whether there are ways of building on what we’ve already achieved here to create something even more transformational”.

The director general went on to speak about the impact Delivering Quality First would have on its investment into the nation, highlighting the relatively smaller cuts it faced – 16% compared with the average of 20%.

But Thompson acknowledged the impact would still be felt.

“I hope that viewers and listeners will not notice a substantial loss of service anyway, but we have to confront the fact that there will be a significant impact on jobs, both inside BBC Wales and also indirectly among our suppliers, be they independent producers or companies who deliver other goods and services to us,” he said.