THE future for one of the iconic sites earmarked as key to Thurrock's regeneration has been put in the hands of an award-winning group of artists and a company described as a cultural consultancy.

The 14-acre High House Production Park at Purfleet, which hosts the Royal Opera House's workshops where sets and scenery for productions at Covent Garden and other major theatres are created, 39 self-contained studios and four work/live units opened in 2013, the Backstage Centre - which is a purpose-built production, rehearsal and training facility – and a number of adapted listed buildings that offer function facilities including hire as wedding and conference venues and a café, leisure area and gardens.

The site also houses the Royal Opera House's Bob and Tamar Manoukian Costume Centre, which opened in 2015. The Centre is designed to hold costumes for Royal Opera House productions, as well as historic costumes, musical instruments and furniture from the archive collection.

Together with the Backstage Centre, which opened in 2013, it was originally designated as a new national Creative and Cultural Skills college. Several years ago the two buildings were relaunched as National College Creative Industries Ltd which offers specialist technical production courses through its partner, South Essex College and there are also degree courses Costume Construction, in partnership with South Essex College and University of the Arts London.

The production park was a legacy from the abandoned Thurrock Thames Gateway Development Corporation which worked with the Royal Opera House (ROH) to bring the workshops to Thurrock on the dilapidated area of land which housed the historic but derelict buildings and an overgrown landscape.

The ROH had to move the workshops because its original site in East London was being developed for the Olympics and it was the first new building on the site, opening in 2010.

Acme Studios opened the High House Artists Studios in October 2013 which offers more than 40 workspaces for artists and companies and there are plans for a second building, which were drafted last year. A memorandum of understanding has been signed that could see more than 90 new purpose-built studios for new creative production entrepreneurs as well as those who are relocating to Thurrock. In 2011, High House Production Park Ltd transferred from the public sector into the charitable sector and is now led by a Board of Trustees and a small executive team chaired by Alex Beard, chief executive of the Royal Opera House. Ten years on, the management structure for the park has changed again and UK cultural consultancy Counterculture Partnership LLP and Turner Prize-winning London artists collective Assemble were appointed last month following a competitive tender. The changes, driven by the government-created quango Creative Estuary, have been designed to "refresh the vision, masterplan and business plan for the High House Production Park (HHPP) site and support the board in its vision and objectives". Mr Beard says: "HHPP is a centre of excellence for creative production and skills training. This contract will build on the successes of the last 10 years with the aim of securing the long-term viability of the park as a sustainable world-class centre for cultural production in the Thames Estuary. "We want to provide affordable, creative workspaces and build a dedicated community of creative entrepreneurs on the site. The refreshed vision and masterplan will enable us to do just that and I'm delighted to welcome Counterculture Partnership LLP and Assemble Design Ltd on board." Emma Wilcox, project director for Creative Estuary said: "This is such an important project, not only for HHPP, a flagship site in the estuary, but for the whole region, continuing to develop and deliver the ambitious Creative Estuary vision. "Our investment will underpin the ambitions of the HHPP Trust in partnership with Thurrock Council. We are delighted with the appointment of this talented team, Counterculture and Assemble, who will set the scene for the next 10 years of this iconic creative production site in the Thames Estuary and ensuring it can meet the needs of our growing sector." Jo Wright, Partner, Vice Chair and Head of Economic Development & Public Policy at Counterculture Partnership LLP, said: "Counterculture and Assemble share a passion and track record for developing high quality creative and cultural infrastructure across the UK and overseas. We are delighted to have been appointed to undertake this exciting and important piece of work to help shape the future of HHPP. "We look forward to working with the HHPP board, tenants, Thurrock Council, Creative Estuary and other key stakeholders to develop an ambitious long-term vision and evidence-based strategy that ensures its place as a sustainable, world-class site for cultural production in the heart of the Thames Estuary Production Corridor." Local people who have an interest in High House will get the opportunity to ask questions and find out more about its future at an event hosted by the Purfleet-on-Thames Community Forum later this month. Because of covid the event will be online but consultants and representatives of the organisations involved at High House will be taking part. The forum's webpage www.purfleet-on-Thames.org. will contain links to access the meeting which takes place on Tuesday, 25 January from 7.30pm. The meeting may offer the opportunity for people to cut through some of the cultural hyperbole surrounding recent announcements. As well as making an impact on the national cultural scene, the driving force behind the original concept of High House, aside from restoring historic lost buildings and creating a focus on interest in the borough, was to engage with local residents and offer them opportunities. Among the legacy of the past decade has been the creation of the Thurrock Community Corus, which continues despite the withdrawal of ROH and council-funding and many young people in borough schools have engaged with previously unattainable cultural experiences through the ROH's Thurrock Trailblazer programme. Local groups have used High House as a base and it remains a venue with many opportunities. Last summer Nub News visited it to meet up with a group of great knitters and also the team of volunteers behind the High House heritage trail. You can catch our video of the visit here. Some concern has been expressed locally that some of the local links, and the principles of maintaining the site's heritage, may get lost in the plethora of high-brow 'culturists' and drive for national exposure. And also that High House might be promoted at the expense of wider cultural and artistic interests across the borough, most notably the Thameside Complex which houses the borough's main library, its museum and its much-loved theatre. One noted local commentator on Thurrock's heritage and musical and artistic activities who is particularly concerned about the history of the site, has said: "HHPP is the darling of Thurrock, beloved of some councillors who would love all culture to emanate from there. "However, we need to keep a watch on the heritage side, make sure the house and dovecote are kept intact, ditto the gardens and green area."