Belfast's BBC Broadcasting House to get £77m upgrade

The BBC is to spend £77m transforming Broadcasting House in Belfast, its historic headquarters in Northern Ireland.

The move ends speculation that BBC Northern Ireland would re-locate to another site in the city.

The plans were approved on Thursday by the BBC board and announced to staff by the director general, Lord Tony Hall.

BBC Northern Ireland has been based at Broadcasting House, in Ormeau Avenue, since it opened in 1941.

Original plans for the now listed building were first unveiled 80 years ago, in 1938.

Additional buildings were added on the site in the 1970s and 1980s.

Lord Hall said that the investment was a sign of the corporation's commitment to Northern Ireland.

"We are making sure we have a Broadcasting House fit for the digital age, giving audiences more access, ensuring we can give them the best possible programmes and making sure we operate as efficiently as possible," he said.

The BBC said that Broadcasting House needed major work to ensure its long-term sustainability and to turn it into "technology centre of excellence". It also said a new building would be constructed at the back of the current headquarters.

The building work is likely to take around six years, with an estimated completion date of 2023.

The director of BBC Northern Ireland Peter Johnston said that doing nothing was not an option.

"This is a big decision for the BBC and it's about much more than just bricks and mortar," he said.

"This major investment is a commitment to licence fee payers in Northern Ireland and will help us to become a more efficient and flexible broadcaster, better equipped to meet the needs of our diverse audience for years to come."