Blackstone and Hudson Pacific Properties have announced plans to create a major new centre for film, TV and digital production in Broxbourne, Hertfordshire. 

Funds managed by Blackstone Real Estate Partners and Hudson Pacific Properties acquired a 91-acre site, 17 miles north of central London, through a joint venture for £120 million. The acquisition, with an expected total investment of over £700 million, will be the partners’ first expansion of their Sunset Studios platform outside of the US.

The proposed development, which is subject to planning permission, would transform the site into one of the largest world-class film and television studio campuses. The project is expected to create over 4,500 permanent jobs for Broxbourne and the surrounding community and contribute more than £300 million annually into the local economy.

This transaction is a continuation of Blackstone’s existing joint venture with Hudson Pacific, a leading Los Angeles-based office and studio owner and operator. Together, Blackstone and Hudson Pacific own a media portfolio that totals 3.5 million square feet, including 35 active sound stages and on-site creative offices, as well as development rights. Sunset Studios has hosted some of the biggest small and big screen hits including When Harry Met Sally and La La Land as well as numerous Academy Award winning films.

Mark Bretton, Chair of Hertfordshire LEP, said: “This is fantastic news for Hertfordshire and builds on our thriving film, TV, creative sector. Without a doubt, we are home to some of the world’s leading production capabilities, and this continues to offer major employment opportunities for our people, together with an injection of much-welcomed activity and funding for the local economy and supply chain. The creative industry is core to our future success and Hertfordshire LEP is developing a Film and TV Sector Action Plan and establishing a Task Group, both of which are set to be launched at our Annual Conference this autumn. Our challenge now will be to ensure that local people and businesses really benefit, and our approach to skills will be vital to this.”

Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, said: “This investment is excellent news for the UK’s film and TV industry, pumping hundreds of millions of pounds into the local economy and creating thousands of jobs for the people of Hertfordshire. The creative industries are at the heart of our plans to build back better. This will be a hub for both UK and international productions, showcasing home-grown talent on the global stage.”

Oliver Dowden MP, Secretary of State at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, said: “This new studio is yet another vote of confidence in the UK’s booming film and TV industry. Through the British Film Commission, we’re supporting the development of stage spaces like this across the UK - boosting the local economy and backing our world-class creatives to make the next Bond blockbuster or bingeworthy box set.”

Cllr. Lewis Cocking, Leader of Broxbourne Borough Council, said: “This represents a fantastic opportunity for the people of our borough. Creative Industries are of strategic importance to us and the creation of over 4,500 permanent new jobs and the associated boost to the local economy is just what we need following the pandemic. We look forward to working with Blackstone and Hudson Pacific to help deliver significant positive change in Broxbourne.”

Deirdre Wells, CEO of Go To Places, which manages Visit Herts, commented on the announcement: “In addition to the huge boost these studios will bring to the local economy - these plans also present another fantastic opportunity for ‘screen tourism.’ One in five tourists are influenced by what they have seen on screen in making their destination choice and pre-Covid this brought in an estimated £140m spending from international tourists across England outside of London. This is why we are currently working up plans and proposals to develop new screen based itineraries for visitors that will enable them to engage with these locations now and in the future. It will also help to drive domestic visitor footfall to local businesses decimated by the pandemic.”

A vote of confidence for Hertfordshire’s creative cluster

The arrival of Sunset Studios will provide a major boost to the county’s thriving film, TV and creative sector. Hertfordshire has a strong creative economy with the twin peaks of film and TV production at Elstree Studios and Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden, as well as Sky and the BBC all located in the south west of the county.

This latest investment will expand this creative cluster east to Broxbourne, strengthening a ‘footprint’ that extends to Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire and Shepperton in Surrey, all with vital links to central London.

Mark Bretton said: “This announcement, combined with the recent news that GSK is investing £400m in cell and gene therapy in Stevenage, the commitment from Warner Bros. and Sky to develop their facilities in the county, and the level of public sector monies that continue to be secured by Hertfordshire, provides great evidence that our county is a fantastic place to invest.

“The LEP plays a unique role in convening local government, education and the third sector, while being led by business, to ensure that our county’s plans remain compelling and relevant for inward investment, in order to help our people and places to realise their full potential.

“Last year, we invested a major part of our Getting Building Fund allocation towards developing an additional 18,000 sq. ft. of studio space at Elstree. We backed this up with EU funding to provide specialist support to Hertfordshire-based creative businesses, sole traders and related industries, as part of our revised Economic Recovery Plan. Investments like these have a significant impact on the local economy by invigorating the supply chain and creating a domino effect that can ultimately encourage a great many multinationals to locate in Hertfordshire.”

Read more: Hertfordshire's Recovery Plan 2020