The developers working on the MediaCity complex in Salford were dealt a blow today when ITV announced it would not be vacating its Manchester premises to join the BBC on the site.
ITV chief operating officer John Cresswell told staff that ITV Granada would be staying put at its Quay Street studios after negotiations broke down.
Peel Media, the company developing the complex on the outskirts of Manchester, had set aside a plot of land specifically for ITV.
Its head of communications, Paul Newman, told the Television from the Nations and Regions conference earlier this year: “Persuading people to shift their business is going to be a significant challenge.”
The first building in the MediaCity complex is due to be handed over to the BBC in August this year.
And the first residents are due to arrive in March 2010, about a year before journalists working for BBC Radio FiveLive and BBC Sport – among other departments – make the move.
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