Ikon Film Studios application includes five sound stages, eight workshops, and more

Ikon Film Studios Norfolk

A planning application has been submitted for a new film studio in Norfolk.

Roger Gawn, a local businessman who also owns a nearby tyre mountain that contains over a million tyres - which are currently being removed, has submitted plans on behalf of his company Ikon Film Studios to North Norfolk District Council. 

The plans include five sound stages, eight workshops, and the studio would be located on Tatterset Business Park. Stages one and two are slated to be 10,000 sq ft each, while stages three to five will be 20,000 sq ft each. The workshops will be another 36,000 sq ft, taking the entire facility to over 100,000 sq ft on the 37 acre grounds.

There also appears to be a possible “VP” stage, which may mean virtual production, in the “proposed site plan” image supplied, but this is not mentioned in the planning statement.

It is also intended that one of the larger stages will include a water tank for amphibious TV and film productions, and the entire facility aims to cater for productions from micro to high end, including TV, film and music video productions.

There will also be attached costume and make-up facilities for each stage, as well as a production office, offices, a concession and amenity building, and the possibility for a film school for filmakers both in-front and behind the camera - which it hopes to run in partnership with the University of East Anglia, Norwich University of the Arts and Norfolk Screen. As such, the film studio hopes to use crew from the local area. 

Stage Fifty is down to provide the stages, having also worked on Winnersh Film Studios in Berkshire, Bray Film Studios in Buckinghamshire and Farnborough Film Studios in Surrey.

The plan details that the studio aims to take advantage of productions which already use the area for on-location shoots, and it says that it hopes to compete with other regional studios that are being established in Liverpool, Leeds, Birmingham, Bristol and Edinburgh. It claims that the studio will create 350 direct jobs, and another 250 in the surrounding area. 

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