East London site “ideal” for new film studio
A site in Dagenham in east London has been judged an “ideal location” for a major film and TV studio facility, a report has found.
By Nick Goundry 31 Oct 2017
A site in Dagenham in east London has been judged an “ideal location” for a major film and TV studio facility, according to a new report.
Proposals for the studio – which would be the first major new facility of its kind in London for a quarter of a century – were first announced last autumn and a feasibility study was launched at the start of this year.
The report for local authorities found that Dagenham has the right transport connectivity for a studio, while there is significant demand for a new permanent production facility in London that could help create local jobs.
“London is a global capital for film - from Bond to Bridget Jones and Star Wars to Paddington - our capital is world-renowned for its film industry and has at least 40 crews out on London’s streets filming every single day,” said Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London.
“But we mustn’t rest on our laurels. I want London to be the most film-friendly city in the world and today’s study demonstrates the huge demand for large-scale film studios in the UK.”
The UK’s major studios – such as Pinewood and Elstree – are based in south-east England and are carrying out long-term expansion plans to cater for international production demands. However, the new report found that more stage capacity will nonetheless be required, with up to 1.22m square feet likely to be needed by 2020.
Development partners are now being sought for the new studio, which will help sustain London as one of the top international locations for US feature films.
The Star Wars franchise is currently based at Pinewood Studios outside London and a sequel to Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is currently filming at Warner Bros Studios Leavesden.
See KFTV's production guide for more on filming in the UK.
Main page image: FreeImages.com/Simon Rogers. Article image: FreeImages.com/Andrew Rigby
The report for local authorities found that Dagenham has the right transport connectivity for a studio, while there is significant demand for a new permanent production facility in London that could help create local jobs.
“London is a global capital for film - from Bond to Bridget Jones and Star Wars to Paddington - our capital is world-renowned for its film industry and has at least 40 crews out on London’s streets filming every single day,” said Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London.
“But we mustn’t rest on our laurels. I want London to be the most film-friendly city in the world and today’s study demonstrates the huge demand for large-scale film studios in the UK.”
The UK’s major studios – such as Pinewood and Elstree – are based in south-east England and are carrying out long-term expansion plans to cater for international production demands. However, the new report found that more stage capacity will nonetheless be required, with up to 1.22m square feet likely to be needed by 2020.
Development partners are now being sought for the new studio, which will help sustain London as one of the top international locations for US feature films.
The Star Wars franchise is currently based at Pinewood Studios outside London and a sequel to Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is currently filming at Warner Bros Studios Leavesden.
See KFTV's production guide for more on filming in the UK.
Main page image: FreeImages.com/Simon Rogers. Article image: FreeImages.com/Andrew Rigby
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