ITV finally agree to move from Quay Street to Media City

This has been the longest on/off saga in the history of Media City. But finally they have done it although they won't have a dedicated building like the BBC. I guess they left it too long for that. This is from the official ITV statement...

ITV has reinforced its commitment to production in the north west after agreeing terms with Peel Media Ltd to move the company’s Manchester base to MediaCityUK in Salford Quays in 2012. “Coronation Street is an incredible brand and as we celebrate its 50th anniversary, it’s fantastic news that we are able to invest in the construction of a modern production centre to ensure that the nation’s best loved soap remains at the top of its game for another half a century.” ITV is set to build a bespoke production and studio centre for Coronation Street. The stand alone facility, which will be subject to a long-term lease, would be built by ITV on a 7.7 acre site at Trafford Wharf, adjacent to the Imperial War Museum North and accessed by a new bridge across the waterway to the main MediaCityUK complex.  A dedicated site has also been earmarked for ITV across several floors within MediaCityUK’s Orange Building, providing modern accommodation equipped with the latest technology for ITV Studios’ production and management teams, ITV regional news, and support staff from across the business.

How Do are reporting....

Around 500 Quay Street staff will be involved in the move, which will also see the iconic Coronation Street set being built anew at a fresh production base at Trafford Wharf, next to the Imperial War Museum. Although details are yet to be confirmed - an ITV spokesperson told How-Do that staff would be informed first - it is expected that the firm will take the top seven floors of the University of Salford’s new building at the Peel Media development. This will leave the bottom four floors of the Orange Building, which is designed by Sheppard Robson, to university staff and students.

Back to the official ITV Statement...

The very latest developments in technology and production facilities are set to be incorporated in the new Coronation Street complex. Plans for the site alongside the historic Manchester Ship Canal include a new external film set – built to greater scale than before to equip the soap for the demands of future broadcasting developments, whilst also replicating the original appearance of Weatherfield. The production centre would also include two sound stage buildings, specialist production facilities and offices, dressing rooms and meeting space for production staff and cast.  In addition to the Coronation Street complex, ITV Studios also has the opportunity to take advantage of MediaCityUK’s dedicated production facilities – one of the largest high definition studio complexes in Europe.  ITV’s regional news team will broadcast from a dedicated studio within the Orange building.

So it seems to me that ITV will be using the Peel Media studio block for everything except Corrie and the region news. This has got to be good news for Peel but do they have all the capacity to cover all of ITVs studio and post production requirements that they currently have in Quay Street. It is certainly not clear from what has been released today. Anyone at Quay Street shed an light on this?