BBC allowed to bar ‘unvetted’ public from Radio Theatre and Media Cafe

The BBC will no longer allow “unvetted” members of the public into areas of Broadcasting House, after Westminster Council approved the broadcaster’s application to modify a s106 legal agreement.

Councillors voted unanimously to end the practice during a planning meeting on Tuesday 26 November after hearing the BBC’s concerns over terrorism and disruptive protests.

The legal agreement had been in place since 2001 when planning consent was given to redevelop the site. Lesley Smith, the BBC’s in-house counsel, told councillors that Broadcasting House had been the target of 158 incidents so far this year and its staff harassed on the street.

Smith said: “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. Acting under the advice of our own professionals and police, we believe our application is proportionate to the increased threats and we’d be failing in our wider duties if we did not make the application.”

Smith argued Media Cafe — one of the public areas — was in direct line of sight of the BBC’s newsrooms and would be an “obvious” target for protesters. Citing advice from security experts, she said installing a pre-notification system was “unfeasible”.

Planning sub-committee chair Cllr Paul Fisher (Labour, West End) said it would be “reckless” not to grant permission.

“I think it’s appalling that BBC staff have to be told in 2024 to leave this building without their badges. I think it’s saying not just that terrorism is a huge problem and a risk that we face in London, but a problem that this organisation is exposed to in particular, day in, day out and it’s only increased unfortunately over the course of the past 12 months,” said Fisher.

Cllr Patrick Lilley (Labour, West End) said he felt the request was “housekeeping that is a bit overdue” while deputy opposition leader Caroline Sargent (Conservative, Abbey Road) said the committee had to find a balance between allowing access to the public and keeping public broadcasters, staff and visitors safe.

Two reception areas, the Radio Theatre and the Media Cafe, will remain permanently closed to members of the public who have not received security checks before entering the building. These areas have been closed to the public since 2017 “as a consequence of both terrorist activity and then the Covid pandemic”, the application to Westminster Council states.

The original planning permission from May 2001 had been granted on condition that the BBC provided public access to a number of areas in the building, including the reception areas and Media Cafe, then known as the Radio Theatre Cafe. The BBC made an application in July this year to modify this s106 agreement.

The BBC said it remains committed to allowing public access to Broadcasting House and pointed out it allows in schools, family members of BBC staff, community groups and audience members. The BBC said as a holding area for audiences, the Media Cafe alone sees approximately 60,000 to 80,000 visitors a year.

Westminster Council said public access to Broadcasting House needed to be considered against both the current policy position of the BBC and security concerns.

Westminster City Council: Planning Sub-Committee (2) – Tuesday 26 November 2024.

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