BBC AND LS TRILLIUM GOES LIVE

THE ground-breaking property partnership between the BBC and Land Securities Trillium (LS Trillium) goes live on November 12, 2001.
Under the terms of the agreement, the freehold for the BBC White City site in London transfers to the Partnership. LS Trillium will invest £220m to construct the first phase of the new development, around 550,000 square feet. They have also made a cash payment of £35m to the BBC which will go into programme-making.
In addition, LS Trillium will provide property development and property management services to the BBC’s estates in London and Scotland for a 30 year period. This involves the transfer of 327 BBC facilities management and construction management staff to LS Trillium and their service partners. These teams will manage property services for 65 buildings across London and Scotland. BBC staff in London and Scotland now benefit from a new Customer Service Centre operated by LS Trillium at their head office in London.
In return, the BBC will pay LS Trillium a £35m per annum unitary charge for facilities management and estates strategy. This figure will rise over time as additional accommodation is serviced by LS Trillium.
The Partnership will develop business case and implementation plans for: re-developing Broadcasting House in London; developing a planned new BBC Scotland HQ at Pacific Quay in Glasgow and further developing the White City site. It is anticipated that the Partnership will be extended and LS Trillium may invest further money so the above sites can be developed. From then on the Partnership will be regularly re-assessed to see if other parts of the BBC’s property estate can be included.
John Smith, BBC Director of Finance, Property and Business Affairs said: "Broadcasting is constantly evolving. We need buildings which can cope with rapid change and offer something to the communities we serve. Over time, this ground-breaking partnership with property professionals Land Securities Trillium will do just that. It will ensure the BBC has modern, flexible buildings which are managed efficiently and are cost effective to run. This will free us up to do what we do best, deliver world-beating programmes and services."
The BBC announced their intention to seek a partner from the private sector in a notice in the Official Journal of the European Community in April 2000. LS Trillium were announced preferred bidders in March 2001 and the partnership was signed on September 17 2001. N M Rothschild and Sons, with DTZ Pieda Consulting, have been working with the BBC on the procurement process. (CD)