Jeremy Hunt warned 'clock is ticking' on Sunderland film studios plans as he faced united front

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt is being urged to back plans for a North East film studio that would bring thousands of 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.

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.”

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 £7billion 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.”

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.”