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UK rail site set for $290m studio conversion

Piers Read and Jeremy Rainbird of The Creative District Improvement Company

The derelict Newtown Railway Works in the UK county of Kent are set to be converted into four TV and film studios in a £250m (US$290.5m) project.

The 15-acre site, which comprises five abandoned Grade II listed buildings in Ashford, was a locomotive manufacturing company from 1847 until the early 1980s.

It will now be transformed into 240,000 sq ft of dedicated production space by regeneration firm The Creative District Improvement Company (TCDI Co) and property developer Quinn Estates.

It will be split into 80,000 sq ft of TV and film studio space, 80,000 sq ft of ancillary production space, 50,000 sq ft of mill store and 30,000 sq ft of media village. The latter will include the Future Media Centre, an educational hub that will be developed with various local educational institutions, including the University of Kent, creating the largest film school in the UK.

The plans also include a 120-room hotel, 68 serviced apartments, a creative industries conference centre and a 10,000 sq ft gym, restaurant and leisure space.

The project, which will create 3,000 jobs, is part of TCDI Co’s £500m (US$581.3m) plan to revolutionise the industry with a network of studios across the UK.

An impression of the finished Newtown Railway Works complex

Upon completion in 2021, the site will be the largest TV and film studio outside London. TCDI Co and Quinn Estate are collaborating with architects Guy Holloway to deliver the project.

Ashford’s Eurostar rail service stop means the studio complex will be connected easily to Netflix’s European hub in Amsterdam and Paris-based French network TF1. TCDI Co will work with the Thames Estuary Production Corridor, a long-term project that aims to create the world’s largest creative corridor, transforming North Kent and South Essex to establish the region as a creative hub connected to London, the rest of the UK, Europe and other global markets.

Adrian Wootton, CEO of the British Film Commission and Film London, said: “The UK screen industries have been experiencing an exceptional boom time and we look forward to building on this by continuing as an industry to invest in skills and develop our world-class infrastructure.

“We are of course operating in unprecedented times and the impact of Covid-19 will undoubtedly be felt deeply by screen industries as we work through this ever-evolving situation. Today’s announcement highlights the industry’s commitment to an ongoing strategy to ensure its sustainability, building on the UK’s rich history of attracting filmmakers, nurturing talent and creating world class content.”

Piers Read and Jeremy Rainbird, founders of TCDI Co, added: “It is a dream come true to regenerate an area that we have a close personal connection to and to provide such exciting employment opportunities. As we emerge from Covid-19 there will continue to be unprecedented demands for stage space and a demand for skilled workers which will continue to grow.

“With artificial intelligence constantly encroaching into the UK employment sector, the creative industry is one of the only industries that robustly defends itself from mass unemployment. British TV and filmmaking is the best in the world thanks to facilities like Ashford International Studios. This is set to remain the case for decades to come.”

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