|TOP|The Bishop of Manchester, the Rt Rev Nigel McCulloch, has warmly greeted proposals for the BBC to open a new £400 million media centre in Salford, Manchester, The Church of England Newspaper has reported.

Although the move will not been finalised until a decision is made in the autumn, Bishop McCulloch said, “A broadcasting revolution is upon us. The ways we will communicate with each other in only a few years is currently beyond imagination. How splendid then that the BBC’s plan to build a new media hub in Salford puts us at the heart of the action.”

The Manchester church head called for unity as the decision is made: “Lack of unity at this crucial stage could provide a ready excuse for the BBC to pull out.”

The determining factor seems to be the new licensing fees that will have to be overcome. The chief executive of Manchester Council, Sir Howard Bernstein, made a report stating that the move to the Salford Quays site was declared the preferred choice because it was more economic and safer, with cheaper land rent and more flexible studio space.

|AD|However, he also commented on his concerns that the North West Development Agency – the quango that controls cash for major projects – had not exercised an active role in advising decision makers about the most economic option.

The BBC just announced last month that a new Head of Religion and Ethics has been appointed. Michael Wakelin, 45, will succeed Alan Bookbinder in the position.

The Bishops of Manchester expressed his delight at the appointment, saying, “I welcome Michael’s appointment. He has significant experience of making successful programmes for Religion and Ethics. He is well placed to grasp the challenge of producing increasingly creative and innovative programmes about faith issues.”

Sir Richard Leese, who is the head of the Manchester council, said, “Manchester’s bid still remains, in my view, the best for the economy of the north west by a significant amount.

“The BBC governors went for an island site rather than an integrated city centre site. They have done something similar in White City and it has not worked at all well. Why they would want to repeat that I don’t know.”

Steven Broomhead, chief executive of the NWDA, said: “Our primary concern is to make sure that the BBC’s planned relocation happens and brings with it maximum economic benefit.”

The latest developments have occurred as the BBC launches a new Christian documentary series, ‘The Miracles of Jesus’, which is presented by former Middle East correspondent Rageh Omar and airs on BBC 1 on 6, 13 and 20 August.

The Bible Society has testified the importance of the production, and the opportunity the series poses to share a deeper understanding of Jesus’ life.