Former major ITV studios in Birmingham to be replaced with hotel

The ATV Centre in Birmingham, which opened in 1969 and was one of the most advanced colour studios of its time, is to be finally completely demolished to make way for several new buildings.

The complex, which closed in 1997 when final occupiers Central Telelvision, Carlton International, Sky News Midlands and an ITN News office all finally moved out, remained disused until demolition finally began in 2009. However with economic issues the transformation of the area has been on hold for two years.

Now part of the ATV Centre buildings has been proposed as a hotel. Previously ideas to build a shopping mall and entertainment venues have thus far all failed to materialise. The latest plans submitted to Birmingham City Council’s planning department show that the television centre’s multi-story car park – which is still in operation currently as a public parking lot – will be demolished to make way for a 210-bedroom hotel on the site which has been named Central Arena and will see a new office block built next to ATV’s former HQ Alpha Tower.

The new scheme will see a Holiday Inn Express Hotel form part of the new block of buildings which includes the Crowne Plaza Hotel, which has been renovated externally and won’t be demolished. The Crown Plaza ironically started life as a Holiday Inn and remained so up until the early 1990s.

The ATV complex, named Paradise centre, initially was planned as an entertainment complex as well as a television centre. ATV took out a 125-year lease on the site in 1968, rent-free for its first two years, and a deal of £30,000 rent-per-year for a decade thereafter with the city council, in 1980 the rent increased to £35,000-pa. However the ambitious plans were scaled back and the public exhibition hall, cinemas and theatre never materialised due to spiraling costs. The hotel, office block and studios with car park were all that finally made completion with the ATV Centre opened by Princess Alexandra in March 1970. The studios became home to some of ITV’s most fondly remembered programmes including Tiswas, Bullseye, The Golden Shot, Lunchtime with Terry Wogan and Crossroads.

“Arena Central is one of Birmingham’s most strategically located regeneration schemes and the inclusion of this Holiday Inn Express will provide a considerable boost to the city’s burgeoning hotel market.” Said Jonathan Wallis, of development firm Miller speaking to the Birmingham Mail.

The newspaper states that Arena Central is a 7.6-acre regeneration site at the heart of Birmingham city centre. The building work is scheduled to begin in June next year with the hotel open by 2015.