NORTHUMBERLAND is set to be thrust into the limelight once again after film crews descended on a well-known beauty spot in an isolated part of the county.
Plankey Mill Farm lies on the River Allen close to the villages of Langley and Bardon Mill. In recent days, it has been confirmed it is being used as a location in the upcoming 28 Years Later Part II film.
28 Years Later, directed by Danny Boyle, wrapped filming in July and is expected to be released next year. It stars Jodie Comer, Cillian Murphy, Ralph Fiennes and Aaron Taylor-Johnson and will feature locations across Northumberland including Rothbury and Kielder.
READ MORE: Filming for major movie closes main road into popular beauty spot
It has now been confirmed that work has begun on a sequel filming back-to-back with the first part. Little is known about the second part, but it is set to be directed by The Marvels director Nia DiCosta, while copyright documents in the US suggest its title will be 28 Years Later Part II: The Bone Temple.
Plankey Mill Farm is well-known locally, as it was used as a popular campsite for decades. However, the campsite is currently closed following a lengthy dispute between landowners The Jesuits and life-long tenant Walter Renwick.
Mr Renwick was controversially evicted last year, with the Jesuits claiming the tenancy was agreed with Mr Renwick’s father and did not pass on to the son. There was also concern the campsite did not have proper permission from the landowners or Northumberland County Council.
Officials at the county council explained the campsite did not require permission as it had been in operation for more than a decade. The site has since fallen into disrepair, with the Jesuits warning in July that some of the buildings “may not be structurally safe”.
The name Plankey Mill is often used locally to represent the wider woodland, which forms part of the National Trust property of Allen Banks and Staward Gorge and sits in the North Pennines National Landscape.
According to the trust, the 617-acre site is the largest area of ancient, semi-natural woodland in all of Northumberland. It is also home to a population of red squirrels.
Due to the filming, a road closure order has been created by the county council stating that the U8047 access road has permission to be closed from August 12 until December 12.
The order prohibits vehicles from using the road between the entrance to Strother House heading west for 390 metres. The road will be closed at all times and there is no alternative route for vehicular traffic.
The council say the order has been made due to the “likelihood of danger to the public” and “to allow the safe parking of production vehicles before and during the production of a film at Plankey Mill Farm”.
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