Chancellor Jeremy Hunt is being urged to back plans for a North East film studio that would bring 8,500 jobs to the region and make us a leading centre for film and TV production.

The multimillion-pound Crown Works Studios plans in Sunderland envisage the creation of up to 20 sound stages for use in blockbuster film and TV productions, bringing stars and other creative talent to the area as well as creating thousands of jobs across a range of professions.

Film company Fulwell 73 - the company behind Netflix football documentary Sunderland ‘Til I Die, the re-boot of Byker Grove and a recent Grammy Award-winning Elton John special - has raised £450m from backers wanting to make the North East one of Europe’s top locations for the film and TV sector.

North East media unite in calls to Chancellor to back studio plan

But the company is now urging the Government to provide financial backing to help bring their plans to reality, with next month’s Budget the key date if the scheme is to remain on track.

Politicians, business leaders and cultural groups from around the North East have thrown their weight behind the plans, which would bring an estimated £336m annual boost to the North East economy.

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has previously said he has had “very good discussions” with the scheme’s backers but is now under pressure to make that support a financial reality.

Fulwell 73 said: “Crown Works Studios will be the focus of the second hub for UK film and high-end TV production. It will help the UK secure a greater piece of the international market, generating local jobs and export earnings and benefitting the whole UK industry.

“To deliver this we need a partnership with the UK Government to deliver a time limited financial support package.

“The stakes are high – if a deal cannot be agreed and projects such as Crown Works Studios cannot go ahead then Hungary, France and many other countries stand ready to seize this industry and the jobs and growth will take place elsewhere.

“The clock is ticking and what is a great British success strategy could become a big missed opportunity.”

The Northern Echo:

Fulwell 73 has worked with global investment group Cain International and Sunderland City Council to develop the plans.

A decision on planning permission is expected in the coming weeks with hopes that work can start on the studios this year, enabling the first productions to be filmed on site by 2025. The full scheme – which would be delivered in three phases – would be completed by 2027.

Spending on film and TV production is forecast to top £7bn in the UK next year, but there are concerns that a lack of studio space will hamper the industry’s growth.

The Crown Works plans would boost the industry’s capacity, and also ensure that career opportunities in the creative industries were available to young people in the North East.

North East Screen, the regional screen agency for the region, says the plan would be game-changing for the region’s rapidly growing screen industry.  

Alison Gwynn, chief executive of North East Screen, said: “The North East is very much open for, and delivering business. It is vital for the region to maintain this momentum in a very fast-moving sector.

FulwellCain’s plans for Crown Works Studios presents a phenomenal opportunity to capitalise on,

and bring real change to the North East’s infrastructure, helping the region become one of the leading film and TV production hubs not only here in the UK, but globally.”

Coun Graeme Miller, leader of Sunderland City Council, said: “Crown Works Studio will be absolutely transformational for not only Sunderland, but the whole of the North East.  It will create high value jobs, opportunities and prosperity for generations to come, ensuring this region’s vast potential is realised and that we can play an ever more valuable role in supporting UK Plc.

“We have some stunning natural assets in this region, but so often crews turn up, film and the leave with no lasting legacy. These studio proposals will change that, on a scale that cannot be overemphasised.

“We have done our bit as a local authority. The scheme is in for planning approval and the full weight of the council is behind this. With Government support on March 6, this can quickly move from a vision into a reality.”

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Plans submitted for Sunderland studio plan that could bring 8,500 jobs

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Business groups have also backed the plans.

John McCabe, chief executive of the North East Chamber of Commerce, said: “As well as creating thousands of jobs, Crown Works Studios is an opportunity to build a supply chain on a scale not seen in the region in decades. It will pave the way for other North East businesses to play their part in our economic renewal.”

And Rob Lawson, chair of Sunderland Business Partnership said: “These studios, if they’re backed by Government, have the potential to be absolutely transformational for Sunderland and the North East.”

Newspaper unite in calls for chancellor to back studio plans

Newspapers and news websites from around the North East have come together to call on the Government to provide financial support for the Crown Works Studios plan.

The Northern Echo, Journal, Chronicle, Sunderland Echo and Shields Gazette, as well as the Northern Agenda newsletter, have set aside their normal rivalries to support a scheme that they say will provide benefits for the whole North East.

A joint statement from editors Gavin Foster, Graeme Whitfield, Helen Dalby, Sophie Barley and Ross Robertson, said: “The Crown Works Studios plan has the potential to be transformational for Sunderland and the wider North East.

"It could be the catalyst for growth in the North East creative industries in the same way that the Nissan plant was for the car industry 40 years ago.

“Fulwell 73 and Cain International have developed a plan that has the backing of the whole region, as well as key players in the film and TV world.

"We felt it was only right that the regional media unite our voices to demonstrate the depth of that support in every corner of the North East.

“Politicians of all parties have supported the plans but now is the time for the Government to provide the financial support to back up those warm words.

"The Crown Works plan is levelling up in action and an opportunity that cannot be squandered.”

Backing from across the region:

Sunderland City Council has helped Fulwell 73 and Cain International develop the Crown Works plans, but support is also coming from across the region.

Amanda Hopgood, Durham County Council leader and interim portfolio holder for culture, creative, tourism and sport ahead of the formation of a new North East Mayoral Combined Authority, said: “We’re seeing strong growth in creative industries in the region but there’s enormous untapped potential to go much further. A studio development the scale of Nissan would enable us to realise that potential in a very short space of time.
“We’re talking about 8,450 new jobs and levering in an annual production spend of £644m in our economy. The benefits would be felt far beyond the creative sector and across the region. Studios need actors, directors, camera crew and sound engineers, but they also need electricians, caterers and hairdressers and make-up artists. And like Nissan, it would create an entire production ecosystem of supply chain businesses.

“That’s great news for the people of the North East, who would be in pole position to capitalise. We’re nurturing the talent, we have world-class locations, and by attracting more and more productions to film here in the North East, we are showcasing the region as a visitor destination, nationally and internationally. Crown Works Studios would give us the studio facilities to match. It’s a transformational development that would take things to a whole new level across our region.”

Nick Kemp, leader of Newcastle City Council, said: “This is an amazing opportunity for the whole of the North East. Crown Works Studios will be built in Sunderland which is great for the city and region, but what I’m really excited about is the opportunity this brings for us all.
“Of the 8,450 new jobs set to be created regionally, so many of them will be in the creative industries. Newcastle has a proud reputation for creativity and innovation and we have excellence in these fields both in business and academia. It’s a chance for Newcastle’s thriving content creation and design, digital and technology industries to really grow.  
“Sitting alongside the work of Generator attracting music labels to the city and New Writing North bringing publishers here, this investment is potentially game changing for the region.”

 Tracey Dixon, leader of South Tyneside Council, said: “The Crown Work Film Studio project looks set to be a game-changer for the entire region. The natural assets of our dramatic coastline and beautiful green spaces in South Tyneside along with a filming-friendly attitude has often drawn film-makers to our borough.

“But this opportunity represents so much more. As well as being able to showcase our beautiful Borough on an international stage, it will provide a much-needed economic and  skills boost.

“As the lead for skills in the imminent devolution deal, this development couldn’t be more timely for South Tyneside. The studio would be a hub for skills, technology and creative people, providing unparalleled opportunities for our local workforce to be upskilled.  It would unlock the potential for a whole new sector along with opportunities for our residents – and our future generations - to become a well-qualified and adaptable workforce.”