ITV to build new HQ

ITV today announced plans to build a new headquarters on the site of its famous South Bank studios in London. The landmark development will see all London staff working under one roof but will mean the closure of three historic studios.

The London Television Centre, between Waterloo and Blackfriars Bridges, was opened by London Weekend Television in the early 1970s.
The studios produced hits like Upstairs Downstairs, Blind Date and more recently, Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway. The company has started a 90-day consultation over the proposed studio closures.

ITV considered moving to Chiswick Park, west London or Stratford, east London, before opting to redevelop the current site.
The new headquarters will include dedicated studios for ITV Daytime shows Good Morning Britain, Lorraine, This Morning and Loose Women.

In an email to staff announcing the move, ITV’s chief executive, Adam Crozier, said there were plans to move back to the South Bank site once it was redeveloped but there would not be a place for the studio.
“We’ve given very careful consideration to what our plans mean for the London Studios (TLS), which would require significant investment to replicate within our proposed South Bank redevelopment,” wrote Crozier.

“Looking ahead, we believe that this investment would not be core to the strategic priorities of the ITV Studios business and so we’re proposing to close TLS and use studio capacity in the external market to meet our future business needs.”

An ITV spokesperson said the move was designed to create a “purpose-built HQ on our existing South Bank site, bringing together all of our London-based staff in one location for the first time”.