Argent Related and Barnet Council, the joint venture delivering Brent Cross Town, London’s 180-acre, £7bn new park town, today announce that Troubadour Theatres, the theatre and film studios specialising in temporary performance venues, has agreed to lease 150,000 sq ft of space marking the largest tenancy to date at the development.
Troubadour, which counts the National Theatre, MTV and Netflix among its clients, has secured a three-year lease for the former Toys ‘R’ Us building on Tilling Road, NW2. In this space Troubadour will create a temporary state-of-the-art film and TV studio to be called “Brent Cross Studios” and is set to open in early 2022.
In addition to filming space, there will be offices and workshops on site, bringing an ecosystem of local and international film and media houses, as well as entertainment businesses and professionals to the neighbourhood. The space will include the largest single studio space (27,000 sq ft) that Troubadour has created in London to date. The company has two other permanent studios, Troubadour Meridian Water Studios and Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre, which has seen theatre productions such as the National Theatre’s War Horse and TV and film productions including Little Mix: The Search for the BBC and The Grinch for NBC.
The new Troubadour Brent Cross Studios will feature a Skills Academy that will enable local residents to be trained in the film and television industry. An estimated 150 training sessions are planned in the first three years.
Brent Cross Town offers a strategic location for Troubadour with excellent existing transport networks allowing easy access to central London. Bringing Troubadour to the old Toys ‘R’ Us building means that it will be refurbished and fitted out with state-of-the-art equipment and recycled materials where possible, with an inventive reuse of the space – such as converting old storerooms into set and costume workshops and prop rooms.
Nick Searl, Partner of Argent Related said: “Creating valuable opportunities so that the neighbourhood can benefit from Brent Cross Town in its early stages is a top priority as we deliver on our pledge of creating a town where all can flourish. Troubadour Theatres is a fantastic addition to the development, bringing with it new job and training opportunities in the dynamic international TV and film sector. Brent Cross Studios will provide a tangible boost to the local economy and will attract world-class TV productions and film houses.”
Cllr Daniel Thomas, Leader of Barnet Council, said: “The opening of the Troubadour Theatres’ Brent Cross Studios next year is another great example of how we are reviving this corner of Barnet and will transform the well-known Toys ‘R’ Us site. The vibrant offer presented by Troubadour will create exciting job and skills development opportunities for local people with a new training academy. It will also join the London North Studio in Mill Hill in supporting a growing sector across the borough by bringing a new network of film, television and other creative businesses and entertainment professionals to the area.”
Oliver Royds and Tristan Baker at Troubadour Theatres added: “We are enormously excited about coming to Brent Cross Town and working together with the local council and Argent Related in opening Brent Cross Studios. We strongly believe that this studio will quickly become an integral part of the community in the heart of an area going through regeneration. Our Skills Academy will create an immediate positive and demonstrable local impact and we hope will become a catalyst for employment within the Borough.”
Helena MacKenzie from Film London said: “We are delighted that a great space such as this is being utilised for Film & television production. With no sign of production slowing down in London, its launch is very timely and we welcome the investment into this very accessible area of London. We look forward to working closely with all the partners not only to ensure continued first-class production in the capital but also assist with providing training & employment opportunities to the area as a result of this studio complex.”
