The first new world-class film studio in London in a quarter of a century could be under construction in the East End within a year.
Barking and Dagenham council and City Hall unveiled plans today for the borough to become “the next global destination for making blockbuster movies”.
An expert study showed how the area could become a prime location for Hollywood-style studio space, boosting London’s flourishing film industry.
The town hall invited investors, entrepreneurs and businesses to back the plans, which could create up to 800 local jobs and generate £35 million a year for the economy.
The borough has already attracted big budget films such as Avengers: Age of Ultron featuring Robert Downey Jnr and Doctor Strange starring Benedict Cumberbatch, as well as hit TV dramas including ITV’s Liar and Netflix’s Black Mirror.
Mayor Sadiq Khan and B&D leader Darren Rodwell today visited the set of Channel 4 sci-fi drama Humans which is filming for its third series at Barking Power Station.
Plans for a major production studio at Dagenham East, the first in the capital for at least 25 years, came amid unprecedented demand for existing studio space.
In 2016, a record £1.6 billion was spent on feature film production in the UK.
Giving the project the green light, Mr Rodwell said: “We were known for producing cars in the last century but today we aspire to produce blockbuster films. Together with City Hall, our plans to build the first film studio since Pinewood demonstrates our commitment to bring jobs and new opportunities to East London”.
Mr Khan added: “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.
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“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. I am determined to do more to support economic growth and create new jobs across London.
“A new film studio in Dagenham East will bring hundreds of new jobs to the area, benefiting everyone from carpenters to camera operators. There are already amazing productions being made in Dagenham and I know these new studios will have us hot on the heels of Hollywood for blockbuster movies”.
The formal tender process will begin next year, with insiders at Be First, the council’s regeneration company, saying they hope phased development could begin as early as end of 2018. The deadline for expressions of interest is 20 December this year.
A feasibility study into the studios, commissioned by B&D and City Hall’s Film London, highlighted the size and the location of the Dagenham East site.
It found that the film and TV markets currently favoured large, permanent studio spaces, with at least 125,000 square footage of stages, and cited the area’s good transport links for cast, crew and industry professionals.
A wide range of leading film industry figures backed the proposal. James Bond producer Barbara Broccoli said: “The demand for studio space in the UK has never been higher and the creation of these studios offers a fantastic opportunity for our industry.”
Stephen Woolley, producer of Made in Dagenham, added: “When we shot Made In Dagenham we actually had to film part of it in Wales – if this site had been an option maybe we could have made the whole film in East London.”
Around 75 per cent of the UK’s film industry is based in and around London, which is the third busiest global city for production after only Los Angeles and New York.
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