Gaping hole on Pebble Mill land

This sodden scar on the landscape is where the iconic Pebble Mill studios once stood.

Responsible for launching the career of Alan Titchmarsh and producing programmes such as Dalziel and Pascoe and the long-running radio soap The Archers, Pebble Mill was home to the BBC in Birmingham.

But three years after the building on the A38 in Edgbaston was demolished all that is left is a gaping hole in the land, as this picture taken by Tim Thursfield shows.

Plans are in the pipeline to create a 393,000 sq ft world-class research facility for the medical and healthcare industries on the site.

Deirdre Alden, councillor for Edgbaston, says she was recently in talks with bosses at Calthorpe Estate, who own the land, and is assured that these plans are still in place.

"Calthorpe Estate own most of Edgbaston and they have been the landlords for hundreds of years," she says.

"They want to turn the site into something similar to Aston Science Park, but it takes a while to get the right people working on it.

"This has been in the planning stages for a couple of years after they designated the whole of the A38 a technology corridor.

"Ideally I would like to see the site taken up with residential housing but at least the new science park will bring jobs to the area," she added.

"I think it is a great shame that the BBC moved out of Pebble Mill as they owned it whereas now, at The Mailbox, they are in someone elses building."

In 2004, after 32 years and countless hours of broadcasting, BBC Pebble Mill in Birmingham closed its doors.

The BBC moved its radio and television operations to the Mailbox in Birmingham city centre and Advantage West Midlands took over the lease of the nine acre site.

Advantage West Midlands say they are currently concluding negotiations with the freeholder, Calthorpe Estates, who will promote the site as a new biomedical science park.

The 393,000 sq ft of purpose-built space is specifically designed for companies committed to bringing new medical solutions to market.

Bosses at Calthorpe Estate were unavailable to comment on plans.