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ITV has announced a deal to move its Northern operations to the new MediaCityUK complex at Salford Quays, including flagship soap opera Coronation Street.

The broadcaster has reached the conclusion of protracted negotiations with MediaCity developer Peel Media to relocate its Manchester base to Salford in 2012.

A dedicated site has been earmarked for ITV across several floors of MediaCity's Orange Building, providing modern accommodation for production arm ITV Studios. All ITV's regional news teams will eventually broadcast from a dedicated studio in the building.

Coronation Street will move from its longtime base at Quay Street Studios in central Manchester to MediaCityUK, subject to planning consent from Trafford Council.

A dedicated complex will be established for the soap alongside the Manchester Ship Canal on a 7.7 acre site at Trafford Wharf, adjacent to the Imperial War Museum North and accessed by a new bridge from the main MediaCityUK complex.

The complex will include new production facilities and an external film set built to a "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 will also include two sound stage buildings, specialist production facilities and offices, dressing rooms and meeting space for production staff and cast.

"It's terrific news for ITV and all of our people based in Manchester that we have agreed this deal with Peel Media. This continues our long and successful relationship with the region which has played such a key part in ITV's heritage as a programme maker," said ITV chief executive Adam Crozier.

"ITV is already one of the UK's biggest investors in original content and as we progress our Transformation Plan, which is focused on growing our national and international production and broadcasting business, it is vital that we have a modern, fit-for-purpose, creative hub outside of London.

"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."

John Whittaker, the Peel Group chairman, added: "ITV is an outstanding international brand producing a fantastic range of popular programmes and I am delighted it has taken a strategic decision to move to MediaCityUK. This is a landmark deal for both MediaCityUK and The Peel Group, and is critical in helping to deliver the long-term vision that we share with all our partners."

Following today's announcement, ITV will work on a strategic disposal of its Quay Street base towards the aim of vacating the site by early 2013.

[flamingGalah!]

It's going to cost them a fair bit to try & rebuild an exact replica of the current set & extend it even further! And what are they going to do about all the seagulls at Salford Quays?!?

This bit troubled me a bit though:

All ITV's regional news teams will eventually broadcast from a dedicated studio in the building

So my local news for down here will be coming from Manchester?!? It's bad enough as it is when they extended my local news region last year to include the Thames Valley & Oxfordshire/Buckinghamshire! Can't believe OFCOM will allow this...

[Scarlett.]

It'll cost a lot, but the old Corrie site is probably worth a fortune - a plot of undeveloped land right in the center of Mancheser? The new one will be built to scale too

A lot of regional news studios are already centralised - it lowers costs, s long as they still broadcast news about the reigon, and have reporters in the reigon

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To give you an idea of why the set needs to move, you just need to look over the roofs of the houses

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bkm/300961460/

[MissKittyFantastico]

That new complex they're moving to is just round the corner from me, looks really good!

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Originally Posted by SantasLittleHelper

That new complex they're moving to is just round the corner from me, looks really good!

Aye, looks proper state of the art apparently Corrie will have a 7 acre site to use

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Here's Corrie's new home

[arista]

Yes it will allow the Studio
do do even more big sets Tragic Deaths

And save big money.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010...iacity-salford

[flamingGalah!]

I have been in contact with my local ITV station (Meridian) & they said it's untrue that all ITV regional news is to come from Media City... Unless they have not been informed yet!

[Tom]

Originally Posted by Chewy

It'll cost a lot, but the old Corrie site is probably worth a fortune - a plot of undeveloped land right in the center of Mancheser? The new one will be built to scale too

A lot of regional news studios are already centralised - it lowers costs, s long as they still broadcast news about the reigon, and have reporters in the reigon

There was an item on Granada Reports about that, they're getting a skyline studio so it will look like Daybreak rather than every other ITV region. But the downside to it moving (in terms of news) is that the current studio is over the road from Manchester Crown Court, but that in itself is in the middle of a high end retail district, so really moving the studios will be good because it isn't in such close proximity to normal life.

I think its a good move, Granada Studios has been falling apart for ages and looks really dated. It'll be the end of an era but hopefully the start of a new one. Corrie has outgrown is current set too, they're doing more away from the street but physically can't build it so have to use real parts of Salford/Manchester.

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A new studio for Granada Reports? Cool

I agree, Corrie have had to start using bits of the car park as locations too xD (though done convincingly xD)

[Tom]

Originally Posted by Chewy

A new studio for Granada Reports? Cool

I agree, Corrie have had to start using bits of the car park as locations too xD (though done convincingly xD)

The new studio (obviously without the set )



Will look good I think

It would be good if the museum that Corrie backs on to bought that little bit of land and kept the street as an attraction

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So it will have an actual outlook (not greenscreened)? Epic!

The Science museum have said they're willing to open talks with ITV on buying the set and opening it as an attraction

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The new set

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Coronation Street's famous cobbles are on the move after Trafford Council approved plans to move the soap to MediaCity UK.

The one stumbling block over the application had been objections from Hovis amid fears of noise and traffic as they are situated across the road from Corrie's new Trafford Wharf site.

But at a meeting of the council's Planning Development Control Committee last night, planning officer Simon Castle said Hovis owners Premier Foods had withdrawn their objections.

The application to build a new ITV drama production facility including replica Coronation Street set plus five studios and a 400-space carpark was then unanimously approved by councillors.

Work is likely to start immediatley with the new facility open and operational by late 2012.

Councillors were delighted with the application, committee chair Coun Vivienne Ward said she was 'thrilled' Trafford had been chosen.

Coun Michael Whetton said: "I thought the objection would be from Eastenders.

"I welcome this development, it is not just good to see Coronation Street coming to Trafford but it is good to see ITV get involved in some big investment and good to see that happening in our borough.

"This will not just be used for Coronation Street but the big stages being constructed will be used for some major productions."

Coun Rob Chilton added: "This is smashing it will bring investment to our area we are happy to support it."

The new replica set, including the Rover's Return, will be bigger and better than its predecessors with larger buildings so the soap can film in HD and use other cutting edge technology.

Granada's move from Quay Street in the city centre is according to developers HOW planning about the need to utilise these new technologies.

Speaking at the meeting Richard Woodford, partner at HOW planning, said: "We now live in a digital age. Never a week goes by without some form of new technology emerging. In short, the media business is a hugely competitive and dynamic sector. This is one of the reasons why ITV has decided to relocate Coronation Street to ensure that they are situated in an excellent location to take on the challenges of the future.

"The site offers an exceptional opportunity for ITV to sit alongside and become part of MediaCity. Trafford offers the infrastructure and opportunities which will give ITV the scope to develop its business.

"The new production facilities will significantly assist both Trafford and Salford in achieving the strategic vision of creating a nationally important media centre."

MEN

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The new set from the outside


and a map