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Leeds ITV studios saved
The ITV studios in Leeds have been saved following the announcement of a £5m cash injection.
The production centre of the much-loved soap Emmerdale will move from its current home on Burley Road to ITV's mothballed Kirkstall Road studios.
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The studios will be completely revamped to allow Emmerdale to be filmed in High Definition (HD).
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Delighted ITV staff were told the news at 1pm today. Work will start in the New Year and is expected to take 12 months to complete.
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ITV sparked outrage in Leeds in March when it announced plans to shut the studio.
Hit show Countdown was moved to Manchester and the studios were mothballed, with the loss of around 150 jobs.
But in major change of heart, ITV now hope that Kirkstall Road can become the centre of a "media hub".
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External filming for Emmerdale will continue to take place at the purpose built village at the Harewood house estate in Harewood but all other filming will take place in five "shooting spaces" within the studios.
Sets, lighting, camera equipment and edit suites will all be overhauled to allow HD filming.
Lee Bartlett, managing director of ITV Studios, said: "This investment is about safeguarding the future of Emmerdale.
"Few cities outside London can boast production of three hours of prime time top-rated drama every week, and this team deserves the best possible environment in which to work and operate. I'm thrilled that we have secured the funding to make this happen."
Production companies and other "creative industry" firms will be encouraged to rent spare office space in the studio building.
Meanwhile, Calendar will continue to be based at the nearby building 104 and at least one other building next to the studios will also be used.
The Burley Road complex, which is a popular student area, will be sold.
Claire Poyser, director of production at ITV Studios said: "Our plan is to consolidate our production centre here in Leeds to fit our needs and purpose for the future.
"The main building re-fit means first class High Definition facilities, and there will be enough spare office space to open our doors to a broader creative community.
"We are actively seeking to develop potential creative partnerships with interested parties in the region. This will give Leeds something to be really proud of."
The Burley Road Emmerdale production centre was opened by then Prime Minister John Major 1997 and was adapted from an original car showroom.
But revolution in digital and HD technology meant the complex needed updating and ITV bosses have decided to make the investment in the purpose-built Kirkstall Road studios instead.
The YEP exclusively reported last week that talks were underway between redevelopment agency Yorkshire Forward and ITV about the future of the studios.
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Sunday 05 February 2012
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