Twickenham Studios heads to Liverpool
Plans to develop the former Littlewoods building in Liverpool are moving forward as it has been confirmed that Twickenham Studios will be the first anchor tenant.
Capital&Centric, the developers of the site in Edge Lane, are working on the £50m project that will turn the iconic art deco building into a state-of-the-art filming facility with two 20,000 sq ft sound stages, supporting workshops, offices and prop/wardrobe storage. It is expected to open in 2020.
Recent statistics by economic experts Ekosgen showed that Littlewoods Studios is expected to create more than 570 direct jobs and could support over 2,000 additional jobs thanks to the halo effect on the Liverpool city region, resulting in an annual boost of £124m (Gross Value Added) to the local economy.
Twickenham Studios has signed a lease agreement for 85,000 sq ft of the complex. Twickenham Studios’ COO, Maria Walker, said: “This is a major milestone in our history. When we saw the vision for Littlewoods we knew we had to be a part of what will be an incredibly special place.
“Liverpool’s architecture, accessibility and can-do attitude sees filmmakers return to the city time and time again. With the added benefit of our studios, they’ll have access to gold-standard interior facilities right on the doorstep of unique exterior locations.”
Joe Anderson, mayor of Liverpool, said: “The arrival of such an iconic film production company as Twickenham Studios to Liverpool is a fantastic vote of confidence in the city’s booming film industry.”
Liverpool has enjoyed a reputation as a film-friendly city for many years - last year it hosted 1,359 days of filming across 289 projects - and was recently confirmed as a contender for Channel 4’s relocation.
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