Creative industries will be able to snap up properties in one of the UK’s most vibrant areas thanks to the launch of a new property portal.
Tipped to become the ‘Rightmove for the creative industry’ the online hub has been launched by Creative Estuary – a consortium of public sector and cultural organisations working to reimagine a 60 mile stretch of the Thames Estuary from Southend to Margate.
It will showcase a broad spectrum of commercial properties across South Essex and North Kent including warehouses, studios, offices, co-working spaces and retail outlets.
It is part of a concerted drive to turn the area into one of the “most exciting cultural clusters in the world” with major investment to develop facilities for film and television, music and animation playing a major role in helping to raise the profile of the area.
Emma Wilcox, Creative Estuary Project Director, said: “Creative Estuary provides exciting growth opportunities for creative businesses of all kinds, from digital agencies to production companies and foundries to film studios.
“Work is taking place to capitalise on the area’s existing networks and world leading initiatives, meaning now is the perfect time for businesses and organisations to re-locate and come and join what will be one of the world’s most exciting creative clusters.
“Just like Rightmove, the Creative Estuary property portal is designed to be that helping hand that will steer creative industry businesses to where they need to be, helping to identify the perfect location and facilities to enable them to make the move to an area brimming with creative vibrancy.”
Dan Richards, is the Founder of A+C, an award-winning stop-motion and animation company who work with clients across the UK and internationally from their studio in Margate, Kent.
He said: “We made the move along the Kent coast to Margate, where a vibrant creative community was beginning to evolve around the newly established Turner Contemporary gallery, providing the perfect place for us to grow our team of animators, storytellers, technicians and makers.
“We moved into a beautiful Victorian building which was once a school for girls and we’ve been here ever since, making use of its many high ceiling rooms to create three animation production studios, a model-making workshop, motion design studio and edit suite.
“Having your business located in the Creative Estuary area provides benefits in so many ways. For us there are so many positives from the area that allow us to create animation, especially the beautiful coast giving us the headspace to think and create. Being able to work in an environment like this is so important for our business.”
Emma added: “Featuring all types of properties, the portal will become the go-to tool for those wanting to work, collaborate and grow in a region where we are dedicated to creating sustainable work spaces that support people and networks to embed creative industries in the region.”
Accessible on the Creative Estuary website, users can browse all the properties available or refine to a specific location. Users can also set up alerts to notify them when properties to their specifications newly come on to the market.
Creative businesses from sectors including design, gaming, fashion, filmmaking and music production are already making a significant and growing contribution to the Estuary’s economy, together with the all-important supply chain businesses such as construction, set building, prop making, AV technicians and logistics.
Creative Estuary is supported by the South East Local Enterprise Partnership (SELEP), Kent and Essex County Councils, the Greater London Authority, 11 local authority areas represented by Greater North Kent Partnership and Opportunity South Essex, South East Creative Economy Network (SECEN), University of Kent, University of Essex, Locate in Kent, and cultural organisations Metal, and Cement Fields.
