Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
Green light, camera, action for studios plan
The likes of Netflix and Amazon are set to use a £250m film studio due to open in 2022. The Ashford International Studios scheme, which will transform an abandoned railway works, was given the green light by councillors last week. Set to be built on the disused Newtown rail works near to the Ashford Designer Outlet, the scheme is estimated to add £100 million a year to the Kent economy, as well as creating more than 2,000 full-time jobs. The studio plan will also feature production facilities, serviced and independent apartments, a multi-storey car park and an 18-storey hotel. Councillors discussed the plans from their homes, with the meeting live-streamed on Youtube.
A representation was made by Jeremy Rainbird of The Creative District Improvement Company, which is behind the scheme with developer Quinn
Estates and funding partner U+I. Mr Rainbird supported the council officer’s recommendation to approve, saying: “With your support we can collectively start to rebuild and create the industry, jobs and momentum that can deliver an exciting new era for Ashford – building on the investment already made in the town. Approving this application will mean that tomorrow when I telephone Eoin Egan, the director of studio and production operations for Netflix, and John Eddy, director of worldwide production real estate for Amazon - both amongst those who are vying for our production space - I can say the Ashford International Studios have been given the green light with overwhelming support and excitement and that the studios will be open for business in 2022.” After the meeting Mark Quinn, chief executive of Quinn Estates, said: “The demand for studio space has never been higher and the coronavirus pandemic has not changed that. “Netflix and Amazon are among those vying for our production space.
“This will allow them to, at last, start the formal process of bidding to occupy our space at Ashford International Studios. “Both companies are scheduling production up to three years ahead, and will therefore be able to commit, before we are even in the ground.”
Gavin Cleary, CEO for Locate in Kent, said: “I see Ashford International Studios as a game changer for the creative and digital sector in Kent.
A lot of work has gone into bringing this site to the attention of the likes of Amazon and Netfiix and we look forward to hearing more on this, now that planning approval is in place.
“Over the past five years, there has been an explosion in the number of creative businesses across Kent, with projects like Creative Estuary and the broader Thames Estuary Production Corridor supporting efforts to bring all that creative talent together and put the region on the map.
“In addition to the thousands of jobs that the film studios will create, the prospect of a Kent Film School also bodes extremely well for the growth of the creative industries in Kent.”
As plans for a major new studio are approved, look at the we past, present and future of other
TV and film entertainment sites in Kent