Approvals Sought for £350 Million investments on land next to Scotch Corner
Advanced Manufacturing and Film & TV Production Facilities Would Create Major Cultural and Economic Hub
Two outline planning applications are being submitted this month to Richmondshire District Council, on land next to Scotch Corner Designer Village, North Yorkshire, which are estimated to bring about 350 million pounds of new investment to the area resulting in around 1,300 new jobs, creating a major new cultural and economic hub in the north-east. The proposals from Scotch Corner Richmond LLP include: (1) an advanced manufacturing facility suitable for Rolls Royce and a further phase of the Scotch Corner Designer Village already under construction and (2) an adjacent film and television production facility.
Laurence Beardmore, president of York & North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce, said: “At a time of such uncertainty, it is wonderful to see plans to create such skilled and well-paid jobs in the region. “Yorkshire has a strong history of both attracting household names in businesses, as well as film and television to the region so this news is doubly well-received. “This development promises to be a game changer for North Yorkshire and as a Chamber it has our full support.”
Rolls Royce signalled earlier this year that it had shortlisted Scotch Corner for a 23,000 sq. m factory (equivalent to the size of three football pitches) with ancillary support offices (a further 3,100 sq. m). The £200 million factory could be the first of three in the UK to manufacture parts for its small modular reactor (SMR) programme, set up to increase the availability of low-cost, clean energy. Rolls Royce has recently visited the site and if selected, the state-of-the-art modern advanced manufacturing facility, which would support global decarbonisation, is likely to be the largest of its kind in the UK.
The proposal for a 30,650 sq. m film and television facility responds to an urgent need from the film industry, which according to recent research carried out by Knight Frank now needs an additional six million square feet (approx. 560,000 sq. m) of film and television production space by 2026 if the sector is to keep pace with growing demand. Scotch Corner Richmond LLP is in active discussions with a major UK film production company.
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“The ongoing success and resilience of the British film industry, plus increased appetite for a broader range of content for Broadcast TV, Streaming, Metaverse and Cinema plus the technical and investment expertise available in the UK, means that new flexible and regional facilities are required to meet current and future market demand,” said Rob Arthur, Director at Entertainment Solution Services. “A new film studio in North Yorkshire, the location for period dramas such as Downton Abbey, Bridgerton and feature films like Mission Impossible 7, would be an absolute boon for the sector.”
The outline planning proposals also include a 12,447 sq. m extension to the Scotch Corner Designer Village, which will include extra retail units and parking. Both the designer village and the 14,775 sq. m garden centre are scheduled to open at the end of 2023.
The Designer Village will include around 80 leading brands at outlet prices including Hugo Boss, Tommy Hilfiger, Levi’s and Calvin Klein. While the new home and garden centre will be operated by Blue Diamond, one of the largest garden centre groups in the UK and The Channel Islands. It will showcase the company’s superb range of plants, for all seasons, indoor and outdoor as well as homeware, garden furniture and fashion.
The appeal of this major new destination will be enhanced by a wide-ranging offer of restaurants and cafés including Wagamama. Combined, the Designer Village and Garden Centre aims to be the leading outlet shopping and leisure destination in the North of England.
Scotch Corner Richmond LLP has taken steps to inform nearby residents and businesses through the delivery of a letter inviting them to visit a new website www.scotchcornerdevelopments.info. A decision on the outline planning applications is expected in the first quarter of 2023.