We’re pleased to announce that our ‘Covid-19 Site Operating Procedures’ have been approved by Bristol City Council’s Corporate Health & Safety Department, marking The Bottle Yard Studios officially open to active productions once again this week.
Studios Director Fiona Francombe says: “These are exceptional circumstances and as a multi-occupancy site, the health and safety of our clients, tenants, staff, contractors and visitors is of utmost importance to us. Since productions were forced to pause in early March, my team has been working to put measures in place to enable productions to resume activity on site as safely as possible. I’m pleased to say that the necessary inspections have been undertaken by Bristol City Council and our Covid-19 Site Operating Procedures have been approved, meaning we’re once again fully open to productions.
“We continue to be in close discussion with productions that were active at the Studios at the time of lockdown, such as Tipping Point and Andy’s Aquatic Adventures, which is now the first production to resume filming as of this week. Other productions that were scheduled to film at the Studios this year are also in close dialogue with us and we’ll support them in every way we can as a facility, to achieve their goal of getting up and running again safely.”
The document has been drafted in line with government policies and industry guidance around Covid-19 from organisations including Public Health England (PHE), World Health Organisation, British Film Commission, BECTU, pact and Bristol City Council. It provides detailed on-site protocols for tenants, productions and visitors to follow, covering topics such as hygiene and social distancing in communal spaces, general site access, movement around site and parking. It also outlines operational measures put in place at the Studios, including cleaning regimes, signage, waste removal, WC and hand sanitising stations.
The Studios has a designated Covid-19 Supervisor as the point of liaison between all productions and permanent tenants on-site, who, to ensure a free flow of up-to-date information, will each be required to designate their own Covid-19 Supervisor.
The Bottle Yard Studios Covid-19 Site Operating Procedures can be downloaded at www.thebottleyard.com/covid-19-guidance.