Proposals
The proposals are for a state-of-the-art film and TV studio which will deliver a film industry hub of 154,215 square metres (1.66 million square feet). The proposals will be delivered over three sites (Site A, Site B and Site C).
Click on the plan to view in more detail.
Below Image Credit: 4D Studio
Sites A & B
Up to 38,000sqm of premium sound stages (around 19 buildings) for making major feature films and TV productions
A Multi- Storey Car Park (MSCP) and surface car park on Site A and a MSCP on Site B
Up to 38,650sqm of workshops for the creation and maintenance of film studios, props, sets and equipment
Up to 24,400sqm of production support offices (attached to the sound stages) for post-production processes such as visual special effects writing and sound design
Two hub buildings (up to 10,000sqm in total) providing hospitality, VIP services and administration facilities
External filming areas – to be screened by temporary screens
Security gates / buildings – a secure and private site is very important for filming
Historic “red brick” Pallion Quay Building to be converted into a technical academy to create post-production facilities, a studio management suite and a media hub
Once fully built out, three block buster movies or a series of films could be made on this site. Only 1 or 2 sound stages would be needed for a small movie, whilst a major block buster would require 3-4 sound stages.
Below Image Credit: 4D Studio
Site C
Site C will deliver the ‘Vendors Village’ providing ‘in-demand’ services which will support the wider development, such as equipment rental companies, catering companies (for the cast and crew), set construction companies, wardrobe companies, post-production services (such as sound mixing, visual effects, editing etc) and prop rentals. A surface car park for around 245 cars is proposed.
Layout
The layout has been designed to respond to the site levels. It is proposed that the sound stages will be located near the river where the land is the lowest.
As these are large bulky buildings, production support offices will be situated on their northern elevation to add interest, an architectural presence and to help animate the river frontage.
The lower production support workshops will be located on the higher ground at the rear of Sites A and B, away from the river.
Access / Transport
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Site A – the main access will from Woodbine Terrace, with a secondary access from the A1231
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Site B – a new access will be created from the existing roundabout on Paul Watson Way. Within the site, the access road will be designed to ‘snake’ down the slope in response to a 16 metres level change
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Site C – the access will be directly from Paul Watson Way
During construction, a Traffic Management Plan will be used to prevent any construction vehicles from travelling through the residential areas to the south
Ecology / Green Infrastructure
An ecological buffer is proposed along the top of the riverbank to keep development away from the river edge and the mud flats, which provide important habitats for birds. The buffer will be 12m wide along Site A and 10m wide along Site B.
Habitats for otter and butterflies are to be provided. A network of green infrastructure will be provided to soften the visual impact of the development and to provide wildlife mitigation
Green or brown roofs will be provided on the workshops
Environmental / Technical Assessments
Environmental and technical assessment work is taking place including for landscape, visual, trees, ecology, biodiversity net gain, transport, archaeology, built heritage, flood risk, drainage, health, lighting, noise and vibration, air quality, ground conditions, wind, energy, climate change and glint and glare (due to the solar panels).
This work will be feed into the scheme design and the assessments will be submitted with the planning application.
Phasing
It is proposed that construction will progress from east to west. The first phase of development within Site A is anticipated to start in 2024. This phase will not affect the climbing wall or red brick building.
