£104m for Sunderland film studios and Gateshead arena infrastructure
Funding includes £38.5m for Crown Works Studios and £24m for a new arena at Gateshead Quays.
11 March 2026
A £104 million investment package aimed at accelerating growth in the North East’s creative industries will support the delivery of major new development projects in Sunderland and Gateshead.
Unveiled by North East Mayor Kim McGuinness, the programme includes funding for the construction of Crown Works Studios in Sunderland and infrastructure works to unlock the long-planned arena development at Gateshead Quays.
At the centre of the package is £38.5 million to deliver phase one of Crown Works Studios, which will create one of the largest film studio complexes in the North of England. Construction is expected to begin this summer, with the facility scheduled to open by the end of 2027.
The development will provide approximately 125,000 sq ft of flexible studio space, combining a new purpose-built Studio One building with the refurbishment of the existing Doxford Printworks structure on a site beside the River Wear.
The mayoral funding package includes £25 million previously allocated through the Government’s Trailblazer Devolution Deal, alongside £11 million of recyclable funding and operational revenue support of £500,000 per year for five years. The public investment is intended to act as a catalyst for private sector backing and future development across the wider Crown Works site.
Alongside the Sunderland scheme, £24 million will be invested to begin enabling and infrastructure works at Gateshead Quays to support the delivery of a proposed new arena development.
The works will prepare the riverside site to accommodate a 12,500–15,000-seat arena and create a new performance square adjacent to The Glasshouse International Centre for Music. Plans also include a new linear urban park connecting the riverside with the Baltic Quarter.
The Gateshead Quays investment represents the first major project within the Newcastle-Gateshead Mayoral Development Zone established last year, aimed at accelerating regeneration and investment across the area.
The wider £104 million programme will be considered by the North East Combined Authority Cabinet and also includes funding for cultural venues, festivals and industry support initiatives. However, the studio and arena developments form the most significant built environment elements of the package, with both projects expected to stimulate further regeneration and commercial activity in their respective locations.
