Sunderland gets ball rolling on Crown Works Studios

A £15m contract to make land shovel-ready for the £450m film and TV production complex has been put out to tender by the city council.

Expressions of interest are now invited for the job, with a deadline of 5 July. A 10-month period on site is anticipated, starting from mid-October this year.

The project is being procured through the Ooen portal.

According to the description provided by SCC, the scope of the job will involve the demolition of existing infrastructure and backfilling the site with crushed aggregates to provide levels and natural drainage. Construction of some minor structures as part of the required works is expected.

Planning permission was secured in March for Crown Works Studios, a 1.7m sq ft film and TV production complex on the banks of the Wear.

The scheme is a joint venture between Cain International and Fulwell73, with SCC as a strategic partner.

Architect 4D Studio is designer for the project, which is being backed y a slug of funding released through the North East’s new devolution deal. Lichfields and Hydrock now Sttantec are also on the team.

The studio hub will feature 19 premium sound stages, offices, workshops, a vendor village, and an extensive backlot, providing the infrastructure required to support blockbuster productions, as well as smaller scale projects.

Set to be delivered in three phases, the hope is that the final phase will reach completion in 2027.

Full information on the procurement process can be viewed here.