[Technologist]

Whilst Technically a BBC Local Radio station can come from outside its area
- after all the bulk of the technical equipment is in one / both datacentres (ViLoR)
and its output is at a Duplicated Portal for distribution by to radio transmitters  by Satellite , fibre etc and on the DTT platform and in  "Sounds"....

Editorially the BBC is very strong on being in the High Street
- and embedded in the local communities...
al the more so as other radio are now regional or wider
and Local Print media  has declined (although the BBC Pays for 145 Print Journos)

Also as part of a news gathering operation - Local staff and offices are essential
hence using the BBC IP network to feed stories to the newsrooms and doing DTLs etc.
over the years there has been much cutting down of Local Radio accommodation
- there are no district offices now - but its moved to people homes perhaps.
Moving incurs a cost - and the 20/20 vision that put Local Radio in the the High street is seen to be a good thing... and the NAO does not seem to worried about the costs of being there.
ViLoR means that it easier to move the kit and you don't need very specialised spaces....
But with increasing removal of funding from the BBC as a whole  ... every part may have to give something up.... 

But local journalism/ content  in the BBC all be it not just in Radio but also on line and TV is very much here to stay