I'm doing all I can for Sunderland Crown Works Studios despite funding setback - I'm absolutely determined

The vision for the expansive £450 million Crown Works Studios was originally led by FulwellCain, a joint venture between global entertainment company Fulwell 73 and Cain International, with hopes to build nearly 20 sound stages at the riverside site in Pallion, creating thousands of jobs.

Enabling works on land next to the Northern Spire Bridge to make the site ready for development are already under way, paid for through public money, but building work on the flagship studios development itself has not started.

In an announcement on Monday (June 30), it was confirmed Sunderland City Council and the North East Combined Authority (NECA) are looking for fresh investment for Crown Works Studios after its initial backers, financiers Cain International, withdrew.

Sunderland City Council said Fulwell Entertainment “remains a committed champion of the scheme”, but that the proposals were now “being presented to the investment market, with the aim to put in place a final funder and developer later this year."

Lewis Atkinson, Labour MP for Sunderland Central, said the Crown Works Studios project is "already becoming a reality" and that those behind the scheme are "determined" to "seize" the opportunity to "put Sunderland at the heart of the UK’s creative economy".

"The Crown Works Studios project is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to put Sunderland at the heart of the UK’s creative economy — and we are absolutely determined to seize it," he said.

"What’s most exciting is that this isn’t just a vision — it’s already becoming a reality.

"The diggers on site today are a clear signal of how Government, the council, and the North East Combined Authority are working hand in hand to make this happen.

"This kind of collaboration is exactly what we need to unlock the full potential of the city."

Lewis Atkinson was elected back in the July 2024 General Election succeeding veteran MP Julie Elliott as the new MP for Sunderland Central, with Sunderland's other Labour MPs Bridget Phillipson and Sharon Hodgson retaining seats in their respective constituencies.

Mr Atkinson has been a vocal supporter of Crown Works Studios for some time and namechecked the development on election night while referencing Sunderland's “bright future."

The Labour MP's Sunderland Central constituency covers the Pallion site where the film and tv studios are planned, as well as Sunderland city centre where major regeneration projects are under way at Riverside Sunderland.

Mr Atkinson, speaking this week following the Crown Works Studios funding update, said he would continue to work to bring the development and associated jobs to Sunderland.

"I’ll continue doing everything I can in Westminster and locally to ensure we deliver a studio complex that brings skilled jobs, long-term investment, and fresh opportunities for people right here in Sunderland," he added.

Planning permission for the Crown Works Studios development was secured last year (2024), but detailed approval has only been granted for a first phase of building that would include four sound stages, production offices, workshop buildings, and a multi-storey car park.

The Government has provided an initial £25m cash injection, via the devolution deal which established the North East mayor, while Sunderland City Council and the North East mayoral authority have committed to ultimately invest up to £120m.

North East Labour mayor Kim McGuinness said the Crown Works Studios could "eventually be the largest film and TV production complex in the UK outside of London and the South East".

She added the development would "create thousands of new jobs for local people and end the days where people have to leave the North East to pursue a career in creative industries" and that "we remain confident that this will be a flagship site in a thriving industry for years to come.”

Councillor Michael Mordey, Labour leader of Sunderland City Council, also stressed the film and tv studios "represent a game-changing opportunity for the city" and said "we cannot wait to see them progress".

“There’s an absolute commitment to secure the best possible delivery partner to move this forward and we expect that we will have funding confirmed and be ready to progress the first phase of the studios by the time remediation works complete later this year," he added.

The leaders of Sunderland City Council's Conservative and Liberal Democrat opposition groups, reacting to the Crown Works funding update this week, have called for answers over the challenges the scheme is facing, while Pallion ward councillors have raised concerns about the future of the major project and associated jobs.

Key figures representing businesses on Wearside and the University of Sunderland have also renewed their support for Crown Works Studios and the council's efforts to find new investment.

A specialist agent is being appointed by Sunderland City Council to engage with investors, which the local authority said would still include the likes of Fulwell Entertainment – who were behind the Sunderland ‘Til I Die Netflix series.

A spokesperson for Fulwell Entertainment, in a statement this week, said they "remain committed to working with the council to find appropriate private funding, complementing the combined NE Authority and wider government funding needed to make these world class production studios a reality.”

Cain International have previously been contacted for comment.