Tag: Forth House

Forth 1 broadcasts first live show from new home in St James Quarter

Forth 1 & 2 has officially moved into its new home, with the station broadcasting its first show live, from St James Quarter in the centre of Edinburgh.

The Boogie In The Morning team began broadcasting from Forth Street for the final time yesterday, before, live on air, making the walk up the street to their brand new studio inside St James Quarter.

The team were stopping traffic as they transported the Forth 1 cow to its new home and were supported by the Watsonians men and women’s rugby teams, St James Quarter staff and Forth 1 colleagues.

At 8am, Boogie and Arlene hit the big switch as the crossover was confirmed with the team presenting from their new location for the first time.

Forth 1 & 2 will now be broadcast live from Edinburgh’s popular retail led mixed use destination each day with access to St James Quarter’s events spaces as part of their newly designed offices.  

Boogie from Forth 1’s Boogie In The Morning said: “Forth House had been our home for so long so there is a bitter-sweet feeling today. But there can be no doubt that our world class new studios and offices in St James Quarter is a huge step forward for the station.  

“When we walked in this morning for the big reveal I was blown away by the studio. The spectacular view is the first thing that hit me especially compared to the old studio which was in the basement at Forth House. Now every morning I get this amazing view of our city!”

Arlene Stuart, co-presenter on Boogie In The Morning, said: “There is no better place to broadcast than right in the heart of our beautiful city and the views of our capital and the surrounding areas from our new studios are incredible.

“I can’t wait to bring our shows from there every morning.”

Victoria Easton-Riley, Content Director for the Hits Radio Network across Scotland: “Our new location opens up a huge range of opportunities. Not just our amazing new studios and offices where we will continue to broadcast our award winning shows from every day, but also working alongside our friends at St James Quarter and their fantastic range of tenants in this new and unique partnership.

“It is a significant investment for the company and is a clear demonstration of our commitment and pride in Forth 1 & 2. It is an honour to have such a loyal listener base and with the continued support from them across Edinburgh, the Lothians, Fife and Falkirk we will strive to continue to delivering top quality entertainment, news, sport and of course the biggest hits”.

Ed Webb, Director of Development Management at Nuveen Real Estate, said: “Part of our ambition for St James Quarter was to create a new art, culture and fashion hub that merges seamlessly with the city’s cultural offering and events calendar.

“By welcoming Bauer Media UK Group’s Radio Forth stations as our media partner, and having shows broadcast straight from St James Quarter, the development is integrating further into the cultural heart of the city.”

Nick Peel, Managing Director at St James Quarter, said: “We’re honoured to be welcoming Forth 1 and 2 to St James Quarter. Forth 1’s ‘Boogie in the Morning’ show is iconic in Edinburgh so to have it broadcast from The Quarter every day is a big deal for us.

“This move is testament to our commitment to provide world-class facilities that will continuously offer unique and new experiences for our guests.”

Green light for Forth Street aparthotel

The city council’s Development Management Sub-Committee yesterday granted approval, subject to conditions, for a new 55-room aparthotel on Forth Street and Broughton Street Lane.

This is to be undertaken by independent company, Supercity Aparthotels.

Its first operation in Edinburgh, the aparthotel will incorporate Forth House and Playfair House, current home to Radio Forth, with associated parking, landscaping, and ancillary works.

The stylish aparthotel will includea communal lounge/bar area, with reception facilities provided on a 24/7 basis, and a gym will also be provided. It is estimated that around 18 jobs will be created by the new operation, which lies in close proximity to the city centre, contributing to tourism, which is the city’s third biggest source of employment.

Supercity Aparthotel’s core clients are business travellers and extended stay guests attracted by the central locations. It offers long stay incentives through a higher level of discount for medium-long term bookings. These core client characteristics mean that movements to/from the property will be less than that of the existing use.

The front of B-listed Forth House will remain mostly unchanged, serving to preserve the historic building. Minor changes are proposed on the rear elevation, such as changing an existing opening to a door.

Modern Playfair House, fronting Broughton Street Lane, will be stripped back to its superstructure and a new facade of natural stone and precast concrete built to align with adjacent buildings, reinstating the mews street frontage.

The site benefits from excellent transport links and as such, the existing parking provision is being reduced from 24 spaces to seven. There is some demand for parking associated with the business which will be located within the building undercroft and will not be visible from the street.

Five of the car parking spaces will include electric vehicle charging points. Ten secure cycle parking spaces will be located internally with an additional four external spaces located in the car park.

Roger Walters, Chairman of Supercity Aparthotels commented: “We are delighted that our aparthotel operation has been approved by the committee, which will preserve the fabulous Forth House.

“This is an excellent location for our first operation in Edinburgh, lying close to the busy city centre and will also serve to benefit the community through reducing movements to and from the building than is currently the case.

“We look forward to working commencing onsite and will continue to engage with the community to ensure that it is kept updated as works progress.”

Operating in London, Manchester and Brighton, Supercity Aparthotels is primarily aimed at extended stay guests and business travellers, have led the way in superior and stylish serviced apartment hotels. Its signature personalised and flexible service has established a level of comfort, convenience, and attention to detail that only true independently owned and operated companies can achieve.

It currently has six properties with two new locations in city centre York and Leeds opening by 2023, with strong aspirations to expand into more key locations across the UK.