Easington to rival Pinewood with film complex

May 10 2008 by David Whetstone, The Journal

A £300m film studio and education complex, on land near where Billy Elliot danced, came a step nearer yesterday.

Councillors in Easington approved the ambitious proposal by Coolmore Estates, a Hartlepool-registered consortium of private investors and developers, which promises up to 2,400 jobs if it also wins the approval of Government Office North East.

The plan for a Centre for Creative Excellence includes a film studio, a four-star hotel with 150 beds and smaller business hotel, and a campus for 1,500 to 2,000 students linked to the University of Sunderland and East Durham and Houghall Community College, Peterlee.

It would be contained on a 72-hectare greenfield site at Dawdon, south of Seaham, east of the A19 and near the A182 link road.

Nearly 10 years ago scenes from the hit film Billy Elliot were filmed at Dawdon and nearby Easington.

If the studio plans come to fruition, other County Durham-made feature films could follow in Billy’s footsteps.

Philip Moross, chairman of Coolmore Estates, was executive producer of another North East film, School For Seduction, starring Kelly Brook and Tim Healy.

A recent article in American entertainment magazine Variety reported that the plans challenged the dominance of the London studios such as Pinewood, Shepperton and Ealing.

It reported Mr Morass as saying the facility, which would also cater for TV, music and new media, would offer producers low-cost, high-quality space and good-quality, cost-effective labour, and would complement rather than rival the London studios.

Mr Moross declined interview requests yesterday but issued a statement expressing his pleasure at Easington District Council’s decision to approve his plans.

He said: “Our proposal has been met with overwhelming support throughout the consultation process. The council’s decision will enable the detailed implementation work to begin.”

Also involved in Coolmore Estates are Hartlepool accountant Alistair Ross and businessman Tom Maxfield who recently sold Seaham Hall Hotel and has been made a Coolmore director.

Alan Napier, leader of Easington District Council, said yesterday: “This is an exciting venture, not just for the district but the region as a whole.

“It will not only put the spotlight on East Durham as a location for national and international film-making but, most importantly, it will bring a significant level of investment to the area with the employment benefits to the area and beyond being considerable.”

Tom Harvey, chief executive of Northern Film and Media, which promotes and funds film-making in the region, said: “This is a brave and exciting plan for the region and for the film sector. It comes from a group of professionals who are well connected within the global film industry, and regional entrepreneurs with proven track records of success.

“It is great that they want to do so much of their business and spend so much of their money in the region.

“It has the potential to make a huge difference as it means that every penny spent at the studio is going into building the sector in the North East and not into the bank accounts of Hollywood-based companies.”

Mr Harvey said the moving image industry generated £121m per year in the North East, with £7m brought in by visiting production companies.

“This is a good place to start but we need to do more to attract further production and further inward investment.

“The development of an international standard production studio in the North East is a major step in the creation of a very real film-making infrastructure here.”

Mr Harvey said the North East had great locations and a proven track record but currently lacked the kind of production facilities described in the Coolmore Estates proposal.

He said the Centre for Excellence would also help with the development of new talent in the industry.

The proposed complex includes a university centre offering training in film and broadcast-related subjects and complementing existing undergraduate courses offered by the University of Sunderland.

East Durham and Houghall Community College would provide foundation courses linked to the film industry for students aged 14 to 16 and upwards.