Central News to move as University buys Carlton Studios site

Central News, ITV’s news service for the East Midlands region, is set to move to a new state-of -the art newsroom in Chilwell later this month.
The news operation, which had been based at the old Carlton Television Studios site at Lenton Lane, will transfer to the new facility following the sale of the studio complex to The University of Nottingham.
The 16-acre studio site will become the University’s sixth campus. Contracts have been exchanged between the University and the vendors, Central Independent Television Ltd, with a completion date set for mid-March 2005.
Terry Lloyd House, as the building will be known, is named after the ITN and former Central News journalist who died covering the war in Iraq. The new site will be the digital newsgathering centre for 45 members of the Central news team.
For the past 18-months the University has leased office accommodation at the old Carlton site for the External Relations Group and other functions.
Professor David Greenaway, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Infrastructure and Development, said the move would bring major benefits for both the University and the City of Nottingham: "The University of Nottingham is expected to continue to expand in a carefully-planned way over the next few years and the acquisition of a further campus, with high-quality buildings and amenities, will allow for the accommodation of a range of support services and other functions.
"The studios will also be considered as a very suitable base for spin-out companies. This is an area in which the University is extremely successful already, with some 27 spin-out companies already established, in biotechnology and other fields. These companies are an important part of the local economy, creating wealth and jobs as well as transferring University knowledge and innovation to the marketplace."
A project management group is now examining detailed future use of the site, including letting space to local companies.
(GB)