More than 2,400 jobs and £300m worth of investment will be brought to the area after District of Easington Council members voted unanimously to approve the proposals for the site at Dawdon, East Durham.

The Centre for Creative Excellence, which will be built in 180 acres off the A182, is the biggest planning application the district has ever seen and it is expected to become world-renowned for its facilities.

In addition to the studios for television programmes and feature film-makers, the site will have two hotels, leisure facilities, including a spa, gym and sports hall, and a public building which could become an
art gallery or exhibition centre.

It will also become a campus for up to 2,000 students from Sunderland University and East Durham and Houghall College.

Outline approval of the complex has come after four years of work behind the scenes by the council and Coolmore Estate, a group of developers, including Tom Maxwell, the man who made Seaham Hall into an award-winning hotel and spa.

The application will now be sent to the Government Office North East for assessment and it could be called in by the Secretary of State for consideration.

It is expected construction could start on the site within two years and be completed in a decade.