Budget: Fulwell 73 and MP join calls for up to £20m to make Sunderland film studios reality

Kris Jepson reports on plans to make Sunderland home to a major film production hub, and what is needed to get it off the ground

The scene is set for Sunderland to build one of Europe’s biggest film studios.

But in order for action, those behind the major plans have said investment from government is a must.

Fulwell 73, which produced the Netflix hit Sunderland Til I Die, and partners Cain International, has called for this week’s budget to deliver up to £20m for each of the next 10 years to make it happen.

Leo Pearlman, one of the Fulwell 73 partners, told ITV Tyne Tees that the region was "crying out" for government support, and the move could help add billions of pounds to the UK's creative worth.

"The UK creative industry needs a second major production hub and the North East can provide this," he said. "This is not about the UK doing the North East a favour, it's about the UK needing the North East, and needing this studio."

Private backers have already committed £450m to the project, which would see the development of FulwellCain's Crown Works Studios on a huge piece of land between Sunderland city centre and the Northern Spire Bridge.

The application itself is due to be considered by Sunderland City Council this month.

The proposals would deliver a film industry hub of more than 150,000 square metres, including 19 soundstages with supporting production offices and workshops, management offices, a vendors village and training academy.

Ahead of Wednesday’s budget, local MPs are already lobbying the Chancellor, who himself in November last year expressed the desire to one day see a "Sunderland Barbie".

Bridget Phillipson, MP for Houghton and Sunderland South, and Shadow Secretary of State for Education, said: "I've written to the Chancellor making the case for the development [and] the economic benefits it could bring.

"I'll be looking very closely at the budget on Wednesday and hopefully there'll be good news from the Chancellor."

Plans for the studio are projected to make £336m a year for the local economy while also creating 8,500 new jobs.

For production companies in the area like Foresight Studios, it is an exciting prospect.

Lee Daymond, co-director of Foresight Studios, said: "It would mean the opportunity for further growth.

"For us we've had a slow, steady growth and having a big injection of something big and exciting like that on the banks of the Wear hopefully brings new supply chain opportunities."

North East Screen believes the region is perfectly set for a thriving film and TV industry. The region has 12 possible productions in the pipeline this year, up from three last year.

Alison Gwynn, North East Screen's chief executive, said: "The opportunity for more and more work - the region is open for business.

"It's creating lots of jobs, it's creating lots of energy but what we really need is a studio so we can have those productions stay longer and we can attract more big budget feature films into the region."

Some argue the project should be privately funded, but with the biggest investment in the city since Nissan, the focus will be firmly on Jeremy Hunt and his red case on Wednesday.

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