BBC HQ to permanently restrict public access

Parts of the London headquarters of the BBC, New Broadcasting House, will be permanently restricted to the public. This comes following a council meeting where it was revealed that the organisation faced “increased threats.”

In 2001, when planning consent was given for the redevelopment of the site, a condition was put in place to allow public access to certain parts of the building. But Westminster City Council’s planning committee has unanimously voted to end it. This is after hearing the BBC voice its concerns over terrorism and disruptive protests, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Broadcasting House had been the target of 158 incidents this year, councillors were told, and BBC staff were eve harassed on the street.

The broadcaster’s application argued that two of its reception areas, the Radio Theatre and Media Café, should remain permanently closed to the members of the public without security checks on entry to the Portland Place building.

Since 2017, access had already been restricted due to terrorist activity, the application said. The application also mentioned COVID-19 as a factor.

“We do try to be as open and as accessible as possible but there is also a responsibility to safeguard the continuity and availability of the services and the safety of staff and others,” Lesley Smith, the BBC’s in-house counsel, said. The request was “proportionate to the increased threats, and we’d be failing in our wider duties if we did not make the application,” she added.

The BBC said that it was still committed to allowing public access to New Broadcasting House, including schools, family members of staff, community groups, and audience members.

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