Roath Lock[1] is a television production facility under construction in the Porth Teigr area of Cardiff Bay. The studios will eventually house BBC Wales drama productions including Doctor Who, Casualty and Pobol y Cwm. The centre topped out on 20 February 2011 and filming for such productions is expected to commence in autumn of the same year.[2]
The facility is under construction on a development site known as Porth Teigr, which also includes a proposed 40,000sq ft digital media centre.[3]
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The successful planning application sought permission for a 300m long, 20,000 square metre building housing studios and offices with a distinctive façade and repeating motifs. It will also have a gothic-style entrance inspired by some of William Burges’ designs at Cardiff Castle and Castell Coch. The planning application showed the building would face the National Assembly’s Tŷ Hywel building and the Atradius building across the water of Roath Basin.[4]
The development will bring under one roof the production of shows currently filmed in Bristol, Cardiff's Broadcasting House and at Upper Boat Studios near Pontypridd.[4]
Programmes confirmed to be produced at the studios include:
After the studios, offices and external filming lots are fully fitted out, filming will begin for Pobol y Cwm and Casualty in autumn 2011. Doctor Who is to move to the 170,000 sq ft (15,800 sq m) site in 2012. The Sarah Jane Adventures was also scheduled to move to the facility in 2012, but future production of the series was halted in April 2011 due to the death of lead actress Elisabeth Sladen and will no longer continue.[7] The village is part of the BBC's commitment to double television network production from Cardiff by 2016.[5]
Roath Basin is the largest single remaining undeveloped site in Cardiff Bay. It consists of approximately 27 acres and has an outline planning permission for 1,000 new homes and 100,000 sq m of commercial floor space. Igloo Regeneration, which is an investment fund managed by Aviva Investments, was selected by the Assembly Government as the Development Partner for the project.
Investment of £8.5 million will be needed to provide a road connection through the site providing both private and public transport from Pierhead Street through to the Norwegian Church, where a new bridge will need to be constructed over the existing lock-entrance to the dock.
The project comprises two distinct, but inter-dependent, components; the regeneration of the currently derelict, former dock side land at Roath Basin would be commenced by Assembly Government investment into the site infrastructure, and the BBC Drama Village, which would total some 170,000 sq ft (16,000 m2) of television studios and ancillary accommodation, as well as a new office building, which could be operated as a "Digital Media Centre" where a range of BBC supply-chain companies and existing Welsh-based Creative Industry Sector businesses would be able to be accommodated.[8]
The building is served by the baycar service operated by Cardiff Bus, running every 10 minutes to Cardiff Bay and the City Centre.