The BBC has spent close to £50,000 producing sample brick panels for popular soap drama EastEnders, which were meant to help decide how the new Albert Square would take shape.
£49,000 was spent on the samples, however the new set is going to have real bricks, unlike the old one which has facades.
The new set is being built from actual brick structures, rather than having only facades. During the building works it was said that samples of key materials such as bricks were needed to ensure the right quality and aesthetic of the buildings could be achieved, and to reduce the risk of causing any delays during construction, which have still come about despite the cost of the samples.
The sample panels include roofing materials and other details such as corbels.
The BBC is working on building a new EastEnders set in Elstree on the other side of the studio complex to the current one
Costs of the new project (pictured) at the studios in Hertfordshire have spiralled and it is £27million over the original budget
The programme team were said to have visited Coronation Street in 2015, which had recently rebuilt. They were urged to implement a ‘design change’ process so producers could suggest changes throughout the design stage.But they didn’t – and 70 requests were eventually made at a later stage, eight months after the design was signed off. This cost them £440,000.
The corporation is said to have spent a whopping £86.7 million on the new EastEnders set which is £27 million over budget and is set to be completed five years later than planned.
The BBC and contractor Wates had around 11 months of negotiations where they were said to have tried to settle on a fair price for the renovations of the set. The contract price was agreed for £24.2 million, which was more than £9.5 million that the broadcaster had originally budgeted.
As part of the deal, the two parties also had to agree provisional sums, which also included agreeing on the type and supply of bricks for the Front Lot of the set after reviewing the brick panels.
The BBC used its Building Contractor Services Framework, this stated that the framework should only used for contracts with a maximum value of £10 million.
Three of the six contractors on the framework bid for the work and two met the BBC’s requirements – with Wates being appointed owing to a higher-quality bid.
The project at Elstree Studios in Hertfordshire is now £27million over the original budget – and is not expected to be finished until May 2023, making it nearly five years late.
Construction traffic is seen leaving the new complex today hours after the National Audit Office announcement was made
A damning National Audit Office report published today found the BBC's poor planning and lack of expertise means it will cost 45 per cent more.
The NAO says the Corporation 'will not be able to deliver value for money' with the project, named E20 after the soap opera's fictional Walford postcode, which is being funded entirely from the £150.50-a-year TV licence fee.
This comes to light as residents in nearby Buckinghamshire have been informed of a new housing development in the area. The new development will be just 30 miles away from the new BBC studio and will be a £65million development in the home of Wycombe's industrial heartland.
However, rather than housing a new set - the development is set to produce around 200 new homes for residents.
The BBC 'will not be able to deliver value for money' with the new project, named E20 after the fictional Walford postcode
The poor quality of construction on the old EastEnders set (pictured to the left) means high-definition filming is not possible
New photographs show the set after the BBC were accused of 'outrageously overspending' licence fee cash.
Construction is only just getting underway on the work to rebuild and extend Albert Square - which had been due to be completed in August at a cost of £59.7million.
The current EastEnders set at Elstree Studios was built in 1984 using steel frames, plywood and plaster brick panels
The current EastEnders set was built in 1984 using steel frames, plywood and plaster brick panels. It was intended to last only two years.
The poor quality of construction means high-definition filming is not possible, while health and safety concerns have caused delays to filming.
The BBC is building a new 'front lot' – a brickwork replica of the current set – and a 'back lot' which will provide extra locations to 'better reflect modern East End London'.
It has been reported that one of the new locations will be a mosque.
The front lot is now expected to cost £54.7million – 75 per cent more than planned – after it took 11 months for the BBC to negotiate with its contractor Wates.
Construction there has only just begun, while the back lot is still 'at an early design stage'. Responsibility for the E20 project lies with Richard Dawkins, the £195,000-a-year chief operating officer of BBC Content.
The BBC is building a new 'front lot' and a 'back lot' which will provide locations to 'better reflect modern East End London'
The current set of EastEnders (pictured) was built in 1984 and was only intended for use for two years, the BBC said
Health and safety concerns have caused delays to filming at the current EastEnders set (pictured) at Elstree Studios
Construction on the new site in Hertfordshire has only just begun, while the back lot is still 'at an early design stage'
The NAO report finds that early planning processes led to 'underestimation of aspects of complexity, cost and risks'.
It says aspects of the design process were not assessed adequately, the BBC was over-optimistic and its staff 'had insufficient expertise in construction project management to identify critical issues'.
The Corporation tried to blame £9.2million of the cost increase on inflation and demand for construction services, but was 'unable to provide evidence' to support the figure, the NAO says.
Critical design stages were completed without appropriate approval and there was ineffective communication between the programme and production teams.
This led to the production team making more than 70 requests for design changes – eight months after the design was supposed to have been agreed.
These resulted in 16 changes and cost around £440,000, the NAO says.
The project did encounter problems with asbestos and obstructions that were 'to some extent unforeseen', but this was 'partly due to poor BBC site records, and limited surveying work', it adds.
Sir Amyas Morse, the head of the NAO, said: 'The BBC will not be able to deliver value for money on E20 in the way that it originally envisaged.
'It is surprising that some of the reasons for this were built in from the beginning. Despite recent project management improvements, E20 is late and over budget against its 2015 plans.'
The Carter family outside the Queen Vic pub. Featuring (left to right) Nancy Carter (Maddy Hill), Johnny Carter (Sam Strike), Linda Carter (Kellie Bright), Mick Carter (Danny Dyer), Shirley Carter (Linda Henry), Tina Carter (Luisa Bradshaw White)
Producers work on the set of EastEnders in Hertfordshire in 1998 outside the famous - but fictional - Queen Vic pub
Brotherly love: Ross Kemp as Grant and Steve McFadden as Phil during their momentous period in the soap's history in 1999
June Brown as iconic character Dot Cotton as she takes out the laundry with her trademark cigarette hanging out her mouth
An aerial photo of the old and new Albert Square sets. It has been reported that one of the new locations will be a mosque
Barbara Windsor, who played Peggy Mitchell, with co-stars (left to right) Pam St Clement (Pat), Mike Reid (Frank Butcher), Ross Kemp (Grant), Steve McFadden (Phil), Shaun Williamson (Barry), and Tony Caunter (Roy), outside the Queen Vic in 1999
(From left) Shirley Carter (Linda Henry) Mick Carter (Danny Dyer), Linda Carter (Kellie Bright) behind the bar at the Queen Vic
The square has seen many scenes played out for viewers, such as the community's showdown with Max Branning last year
The BBC tried to blame £9.2million of the cost increase on inflation and demand for construction services
Mick announces the return of ladies night at the Queen Vic, alongside wife Linda during scenes at the current set in 2017
EastEnders with Charlie Brooks as Janine Malloy and Pam St Clement as Pat Butcher in an iconic scene from 2011
Alfie Moon (pictured) was desperate to win Kat back, in this episode of the BBC soap aired earlier this month
EastEnders once regularly attracted 20million viewers per episode but now struggles to attract 7million.
Liberal Democrat MP Layla Moran said: 'The Queen Vic and Albert Square are dear to my heart, like lots of people, and there is no doubt in recent years the show has played a major role is raising many important societal issues.
'However I can't imagine any of the straight-talking characters accepting this outrageous overspend of public money.'
Labour MP Meg Hillier, chairman of the public accounts committee, said: 'It is concerning that the BBC has been unable to keep to budget and time.
'It is critical, given the BBC's funding pressures, that every pound of licence fee payers' money is spent effectively.'
Labour MP Chris Evans, who sits on the committee, added: 'The BBC ought to realise that the licence fee is still unpopular.
'Many people are asking about value for money. At the end of the day, this isn't their money, this is licence fee payers' money.'
The BBC said: 'The set of EastEnders was built in 1984 and only intended for use for two years.
'Over 30 years later, the show remains one of the BBC's flagship programmes and yet is filming from a set that is no longer fit for purpose.
'The new set is a large, complex project which has already delivered many other vital improvements at Elstree, but like any building work of this scale there have been challenges, including construction market issues beyond our control. We've already made improvements and are keeping the project under close scrutiny.'
Link hienalouca.com
https://hienalouca.com/2018/12/13/drone-footage-shows-bbcs-vast-87m-eastenders-set-being-built/
Main photo article The BBC has spent close to £50,000 producing sample brick panels for popular soap drama EastEnders, which were meant to help decide how the new Albert Square would take shape.
£49,000 was spent on the samples, however the new set is going to have real bricks, unlike the old one which has fa...
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Dianne Reeves Online news HienaLouca
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