JULIE ELLIOTT: A strong and growing cultural sector attracts visitors to our city centre

It was a pleasure to host a debate in Parliament recently on the importance of the creative industries to Sunderland and the North East, not least because of the news that planning application has been submitted for 500,000 square feet of creative space as part of a new studio development.
By The Newsroom
Published 24th Nov 2022, 00:00 BST
An aerial shot of the former Pallion Shipyard site.An aerial shot of the former Pallion Shipyard site.
An aerial shot of the former Pallion Shipyard site.

Submitted by Metalwork Pictures USA, Broadwick Live, Pallion Engineering and Kajima Corporation of Japan, the plans are to develop the former Pallion Shipyard site into a world leading studio, with the largest covered water studios in the world.

This would be vital investment in an area that needs it - there is the potential for hundreds of new jobs, and for so many new opportunities for local people to get involved, it truly is an exciting time to be in the city, and I am really looking forward to the sector continuing to grow.

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This is not the only big development that is taking place either.

We have already seen Fulwell 73 move into the city, who are led by the amazing Sunderland native Leo Pearlman, finding their base at the university.

We are soon to celebrate a year of the new Fire Station auditorium, which I was privileged to attend the opening of.

Sunderland Culture recently celebrated their 10th anniversary, too.

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They work hard to bring new exhibitions and experiences to cultural venues in the city, and this has certainly shown in the numbers of people now visiting from further afield.

And we also have the Sunderland Empire, attracting West Ends shows, whilst going out in the community to bring art and theatre closer to communities across Sunderland.

The importance of having a strong, growing cultural sector cannot be underappreciated.

It is vital for bringing in visitors to our city centre, who go on to use local bars and restaurants, and get our local economy going,

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And it is vital for the skills training, given the multitude of jobs that are available in the sector.

Sunderland is proud to have so many highly skilled workers in sectors like manufacturing and construction, and the opportunity for putting these skills to use in the creative industries is huge.

Combined with investment by the Arts Council, and recent investment by the BBC into the regional creative economy, it certainly is an incredible time to be working in culture in Sunderland – I do hope everyone takes the opportunity to get involved.

Related topics:SunderlandNorth EastParliamentJapan