Ashford Council has granted planning permission for Ashford International Studios, a new £240m ($300m) film studio on the site of the town’s former Newtown railway works.
The complex is estimated to bring in £100 million ($125 million) a year into Ashford’s economy and around 2,000 full-time jobs. It will include four TV and film studios, a university for around 200 graduates a year with TV, film, animation and post-production technology, serviced and independent apartments, a hotel, and a multi-story car park that will be the tallest building in Ashford.
The owners, TDCI (The Creative District Improvement Company), which recently announced the £50m ($64m) takeover of Twickenham Studios, say that both Netflix and Amazon are interested in taking production space when they open for business in 2022. Netflix’s European hub is in Amsterdam and Ashford has a conveniently-located Eurostar station.