Sadiq Khan £3m grant to renovate film studios behind Never Let Me Go and The Great

The capital’s TV and film industry has received a boost following the renovation of studios in east London.

3 Mills Studios, home to Emmy award-winning US production The Great and acclaimed film Never Let Me Go, has undergone a £6m redevelopment that has seen upgrades to several of the site’s historical buildings.

The studios received £3m in City Hall funding to complete its refurbishment, with a further £1.9m funding provided through the London Legacy Development Corporation’s (LLDC) community infrastructure fund.

The City Hall funding is part of a £22.1m allocation from the Government’s £900m Getting Building Fund to help support the capital’s multi-billion pound TV and film industry.

£5m of the funding will be used to open London’s largest new studio for 25 years in Dagenham, Eastbrook Studios.

Together the projects at 3 Mill Studios and Eastbrook Studios aim to create over 1,000 new jobs, from marketing and design to animators and camera crew.

City Hall says the studios are part of growing cultural investment across east London, including through East Bank, the new £1.1bn powerhouse for culture and education on Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and the Thames Estuary Production Corridor,  a creative partnership across east London, the North Kent Coast and South Essex

The projects have the potential to create 21,000 jobs and generate £3.7bn for the UK economy.

The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, visited 3 Mill Studios on Monday to see the completed work and ongoing rehearsals taking place for the stage show Matilda the Musical, which is about to go on tour in Asia.

“London is a global hub for film and television and 3 Mills has been pivotal in the success of the industry,” said Mr Khan.

“The restoration of these historic buildings not only offers much needed space for more industry production to take place in the capital, but also supports over a thousand jobs in the heart of east London.

“It will enable the studios to play a major role as the capital’s film and TV industries support our economy and we build a better London for everyone.”

Deputy mayor for culture and the creative industries Justine Simons OBE said: “East London is fast becoming a major creative powerhouse. 3 Mills is a much loved studio and this wonderful renovation will bring to life even more captivating film, TV and theatre. A stone’s throw away, East Bank, the largest new culture and education district in 150 years is almost complete, with Abba Voyage wowing audiences from across the globe and Hackney Wick home to the largest community of artists in Europe.

“Together they are boosting the creative economy, bringing jobs and opportunities for young and emerging creative talent and keeping London at the top of its game as a world creative capital.”