Lease, camera, action as Liverpool film studio seals bumper letting
A £54m, 10-acre film and TV studio in Liverpool has secured a sizeable letting from a local university.
Liverpool John Moores University has signed to become education partner at Capital & Centric’s Littlewoods Film and TV Studios, taking 75,000 sq ft for an entertainment technology centre offering training in film production.
Capital & Centric is developing the former pools building alongside Liverpool City Council, and has touted it as “the Hollywood of the North”. The site will include a filming complex to lift the city’s entertainment industry and is expected to give a near-£200m boost to the local economy.
A £54m, 10-acre film and TV studio in Liverpool has secured a sizeable letting from a local university.
Liverpool John Moores University has signed to become education partner at Capital & Centric’s Littlewoods Film and TV Studios, taking 75,000 sq ft for an entertainment technology centre offering training in film production.
Capital & Centric is developing the former pools building alongside Liverpool City Council, and has touted it as “the Hollywood of the North”. The site will include a filming complex to lift the city’s entertainment industry and is expected to give a near-£200m boost to the local economy.
The project is part of the Liverpool City Region’s £8.8bn ‘Building Back Better’ economic recovery plan and is expected to be open by 2023.
LJMU’s prelet, which a spokesman for Capital & Centric said is the North West’s largest commercial letting so far this year, will see it move in alongside Twickenham Studios, and takes the site to more than 60% prelet.
The remaining 100,000 sq ft will comprise office space for companies in the film, TV and digital sectors, as well as event space open to the public, including a café/bar and 150-seat screening room.
Adam Higgins, co-founder of Capital & Centric, said: “Getting an education partner on board has been what we’ve been waiting for, and it will ensure that local people have the right skills to take advantage of the huge opportunities on offer. Clustering film and TV with education is something pretty unique and Littlewoods Studios will be the biggest facility of its kind in the UK.”
Film and TV studios are a growing area of real estate investment, not least due to rising demand for entertainment during the UK’s coronavirus lockdown. Outside of London, Liverpool is the most filmed city in the UK, according to Capital & Centric.
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Image courtesy of Font Comms