Film village construction timeline revealed

The vacant Shades building will be the "spiritual home" of the production village, councillors heard

The timescales for a £33.5m project to grow a town's film and TV studios and create a new production village have been revealed.

Expansion plans for the Northern Studios in Hartlepool and the development of a screen industries production village were approved last month.

The technical designs are due to be completed in February 2026, with the main manufacturing and construction period expected to start in August of that year.

Building work is expected to be completed by November 2027, with the site "operationally ready" by spring 2028.

Work will include repairs and renovations to the Grade II listed vacant Shades building, which councillors heard will be the "arrival point" and "spiritual home of the production village", the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

The site is set to be "operationally ready" by spring 2028

The latest meeting of the Hartlepool Borough Council's economic growth and regeneration committee heard the approval marked "a major milestone for the project" and received an update of what would come next:

• October 2025 - demolition of a car wash in Whitby Street and "opening up works" on production village assets

• February 2026 - technical designs, including full architectural and engineering details, to be finalised

• February to July 2026 - tender procurement stage

• August 2026 - main manufacturing and construction period expected to begin

• November 2027 - construction expected to be completed

• December 2027 - final certificates and handovers carried out

• Spring 2028 - site "operationally ready"

The project is being led by Hartlepool Borough Council, in partnership with The Northern School of Art, Tees Valley Combined Authority and North East Screen.

The £33.5m is coming from levelling up funding and the Tees Valley Investment Zone Fund.