Cross in Hand TV broadcast centre to be upgraded to digital

The television broadcast facility at Cross in Hand is due to be upgraded as part of a national move from analogue to digital television which is due to be completed in 2012.

The Cross in Hand installation is described as "one of the most important sites in the broadcast network", in a planning application before Wealden Council, because other sites are dependent upon it.

Works to enable digital signals to be transmitted are described as relatively minor in comparison to the original analogue development, much of which will be re-used.

The site, in Herring Lane, was first established in the early 1970s by the BBC but is now owned and operated by Arqiva following the sale of the BBC transmission network in the mid 1990s.

The work that needs to be done now includes:

the installation of feeder management gantries and cable ladders
relocation of a previously approved emergency standby generator with associated fuel tank
installation of two electrical feeder pillars
installation of three small GPRS antennas on the existing building
installation of two small ventilation cowls.

Documents included with planning application say that the move to digital TV will allow the population at large to enjoy consistently good picture and sound quality, a greater range of channels, interactive channels and new types of services that might include shopping, games and community information.

The switchover will also free up a large amount of radio spectrum that the Government intends to make available to other users or services that might include mobile TV or high definition TV.