Hollywood staff and local leaders hail CrownWorks
HOLLYWOOD directors, producers, Oscar winners and local leaders have welcomed the approval of a £450m film studio in Sunderland.
Plans for the Crown Works Studios have been green lit by Sunderland City Council. Detailed plans for the first phase of Crown Works Studios a major filmmaking hub that will stand on the banks of the River Wear - have been approved by the city council’s planning committee, paving the way for construction to commence this summer.
Outline proposals for two further phases of the huge development set to create more than 8,000 new jobs - have also been rubber stamped, marking the final milestone in local approvals needed for the 1.68m sq ft film hub at Pallion to be built. The approval of the plans has been welcomed by industry and local leaders.
Academy award winner David Parfitt, who is chair of North East Screen, said: “Sunderland’s Crown Works Studios is significant in ensuring that local industry talent and businesses have a place they can create global film and high-end TV content without having to relocate to other areas of the UK.
“My generation had to leave the North East to pursue careers in the creative screen industries. Record investment in local talent from the North East Screen Industries Partnership and major UK broadcasters has started to produce substantial change, but this major investment in a large-scale studio development will take us to the next stage, supporting the incredible talent already working in the North East and bringing others home.”
Mally Chung, a Carlisle based production manager on No Time To Die, said: “Crown Works is a life changing move for cast and crew like myself in the North of England and has a far wider economic impact, ensuring the UK can retain its crown as a world leading production centre.”
Award-winning director Shekar Kapur, who directed Elizabeth and Elizabeth: The Golden Age, said: “The spectacular locations of North East England allowed me to create a level of historical authenticity in Elizabeth that made the story more captivating and believable.
“The addition of a world-class studio facility will further enhance the attractiveness of shooting in the region.”
Bruce Hendricks, who was execu
tive producer Pirates of the Caribbean, said: “The Sunderland studios project is exactly the kind of initiative that could make a difference.”
Helen Dalby, audience and content director at Reach Plc and Chair of the North East Society of Editors, said: “Along with regional editors from the North East, I was incredibly proud to lead a campaign to encourage investment in Crown Works Studios, sending a clear statement of the tremendous support this gamechanging project has and I am delighted to see this project backed today.
“The North East deserves this vote of confidence, and the people of this tremendous region also deserve the life- changing opportunities the studios will unlock.”
Chief Executive of Creative UK Caroline Norbury said: “Crown Works Studios is a great project that will support a huge ecosystem of businesses in the North East, enabling the creative industries to flourish in a region bursting with potential.”
The studios that will change the face of the North East and the UK’s creative industries, are being delivered by FulwellCain - a joint venture between global entertainment company Fulwell 73 and Cain International - and, with the backing of Sunderland City Council, the plans have the support of the new North East Mayoral Combined Authority (NEMCA), subject to a business case, which will use trailblazer funding allocated by the Government to make the vision a reality. In all, the deal secured a package of support amounting to £120m.
Crown Works Studios will transform the economy of the North East - spurring a creative industrial revolution in one of the UK’s most exciting growth sectors. The studios will be one of the largest in Europe, boasting 20 premium sound stages suitable for major feature film and high-end TV (HETV) productions.
A planning application was submitted to the local authority last year, with detailed CGIs showing attractive contemporary studio spaces, as well as provision for production workshops and office space, a vendor village for supply chain businesses, administrative and social facilities, multi-storey car parks and an extensive backlot.
Thousands of people living across the North East will benefit from the new jobs and inward investment generated by Crown Works Studios. When complete, it is expected that the studios will generate £336m (GVA) for the local economy every year and will support a range of jobs and contract opportunities from carpenters, engineers, designers and drivers, to electricians, hair and make-up artists, and medics.
The impact will be felt across the region, establishing the North East as a creative powerhouse on a national and international scale.