Belfast City Council votes in favour of BBC studio use deal

Belfast city councillors have voted in favour of a deal with the BBC over a new studio.

The vote overturns a committee decision to reject a proposed agreement with the broadcaster.

The new studio and event space will be based inside the £100m Belfast Stories development which is due to be built in the city centre by 2030.

Sinn Féin led opposition to the deal, saying the council "should not have a financial relationship with a state broadcaster".

It is not clear yet whether Sinn Féin will try to reverse the decision made on Wednesday night by the full 60-member council.

The vote was taken in private. It is believed it was backed by 30 votes to 24, with the support of unionists, the Alliance Party and the SDLP (Social Democratic and Labour Party).

Full details of the proposed deal have not been made public. The BBC has been in discussions with the council about using a large-scale studio space within the Belfast Stories project once it is built.

It is understood the plan would allow the broadcaster use of the space for 140 days a year for at least 10 years.

It would not have exclusive access to the space and it would not be branded as a BBC studio, as other organisations could use it, for exhibitions, film-screenings or other cultural events.

The Belfast Stories centre will be based at the site of the former Bank of Ireland building at the junction of Royal Avenue and North Street.

It will use words, pictures and sounds to illustrate the city's past, present and future.

The aim is to make it a tourist attraction.

A BBC spokesperson said: "We welcome the Council's decision and the creative opportunities that it will help to unlock for the local screen sector and economy and BBC audiences everywhere."

Sinn Féin vice-president Michelle O'Neill criticised the proposed deal, but said the party had not decided yet whether to challenge the decision.

"It is the Belfast people's story, and it should be told by them and through their council reps and through the council and we'd like to do that without the influence of the state broadcaster," O'Neill said.

"Obviously it only happened last night, so we'll work out what's the next step.

"But for me, fundamentally, this project belongs to the people of Belfast and we'd like it to stand on its own two feet and to be very independent."

A BBC spokesperson said: "We understand the importance of this living record and how it could enhance Belfast Stories – something that we're continuing to explore with the team involved."

They added that "none of it would involve the BBC having editorial control over exhibits and community storytelling".

Representatives from the SDLP and the Green Party also voted against the agreement with the BBC at the recent committee meeting.

However, at the full council meeting, it is believed the SDLP backed the proposal.

Plans for the Belfast Stories project were first revealed in 2021.

If all goes according to plan, building work on the development will begin before the end of next year.