UK film
permit guides

The Canal & River Trust manages over 2,000 miles of waterways across England and Wales, offering filming permits for towpaths, lock structures, and canal heritage.

Forestry England manages over 250,000 hectares of public woodland across England, offering filming permits for forest interiors, clearings, and heritage woodland infrastructure.

The National Trust manages over 500 historic houses, coastline, and countryside across England, Wales, and Northern Ireland — each property handles its own filming bookings.

Film London coordinates permits across all 33 London boroughs through the London Filming Partnership, routing productions to the right borough officer.

Historic Royal Palaces manages location hire and filming across six royal sites including the Tower of London, Hampton Court Palace, and Kensington Palace.

The South Downs National Park Authority manages filming on NPA land across 100 miles of chalk downland; Arundel Castle, Seven Sisters, and town centres involve separate authorities.

The Royal Parks manages ten parks across London — including Hyde Park and Richmond Park — each requiring a separate filming permit from the Royal Parks commercial team.

Brighton & Hove manages filming permits across the seafront, the Lanes, North Laine, and the South Downs coastal edge.

Buckinghamshire Council manages filming on public highways and council land; Waddesdon Manor, Cliveden, and Stowe are National Trust sites with separate permit processes.

Hertfordshire County Council manages county highway filming; Hatfield House, Knebworth House, Elstree, and Leavesden Studios all have independent access arrangements.

Kent County Council handles filming on public highways and council land, with major heritage sites managed independently by English Heritage, National Trust, and private estates.

Camden covers Bloomsbury, Kings Cross, Camden Town, and Hampstead with standard London Filming Partnership processes.

Hackney covers Shoreditch, Dalston, Hackney, and Stoke Newington — popular for contemporary urban productions with accessible support for independent and student shoots.

Islington covers Angel, Highbury, Finsbury Park, and Clerkenwell — Georgian terraces and contemporary mixed-use streets close to production facilities.

Lambeth covers Brixton, Stockwell, Clapham, and Kennington with Brockwell Park as a flagship filming location.

Richmond upon Thames covers Twickenham, Richmond town, and the Thames riverside — popular for period productions in well-maintained green environments.

Southwark covers Borough Market, Bermondsey, Peckham, and Dulwich with a range of settings from Victorian railway arches to council estate exteriors.

Tower Hamlets covers Whitechapel, Bethnal Green, Bow, and Limehouse with diverse period and contemporary settings.

Wandsworth covers Clapham Junction, Battersea, Balham, and Putney, with Battersea Park as the borough's flagship filming location.

Oxford City Council covers public streets and open spaces; University of Oxford colleges manage their own filming permissions independently.

Oxfordshire County Council manages county highway filming; Oxford's colleges each have independent protocols, and Blenheim Palace handles commercial filming separately.

Greenwich covers the historic maritime town, Woolwich, Blackheath, and Eltham with a mix of heritage and suburban settings.

Surrey Film Office manages highway filming permits and location support across Surrey, with a well-resourced dedicated service and published lead times.

Westminster covers central London's most-requested streets and public spaces with fixed fee schedules and a 24-hour filming enquiry service.

The Lake District National Park Authority manages filming on NPA land within the World Heritage Site; National Trust, United Utilities, and private landowners hold much of the key filming landscape.

Cheshire East Council manages filming permits on county highways and land, including direct management of Tatton Park as a separate events attraction.

Cheshire West and Chester Council manages filming on public highways and land; Chester Cathedral and the city's Roman walls involve separate heritage permissions.

Liverpool Film Office, Europe's first film office (est. 1989), manages all filming permissions on Liverpool City Council land and public highways.

Manchester City Council's Filming and Events team issues permits for public highways, parks, and civic buildings across the city.

City of York Council manages filming permits in the historic walled city, coordinating with York Minster, the Museums Trust, and English Heritage.

Durham County Council manages county highway and public land filming; Durham Cathedral, Beamish Museum, and Raby Castle are independently managed.

Leeds City Council's filming service covers streets, parks, and civic spaces with support from Screen Yorkshire for larger regional productions.

Film Newcastle supports productions on public land and streets, with unique Town Moor governance requiring Freemen of Newcastle consent for certain areas.

North Yorkshire Council manages filming permits across England's largest county, covering public highways, parks, and civic buildings.

Northumberland County Council handles filming permits for public land and highways across England's most northerly county, with major heritage sites independently managed.

Sheffield City Council supports production with competitive rates, covering the steel city's streets, parks, and civic buildings.

The Peak District National Park Authority manages filming on NPA land; most land in the Park is privately owned and requires landowner permission in addition to NPA approval.

Birmingham Film Office facilitates filming across the UK's second largest city including its extensive canal network, civic buildings, and diverse residential streets.

Coventry offers distinctive post-war modernist architecture and wide public squares, managed through the council's filming service.

Derbyshire County Council handles filming on county highways and land; Chatsworth, Hardwick Hall, and Peak District moorland are separately managed.

Leicester City Council covers a diverse city centre, New Walk, and council parks — one of England's most culturally diverse filming environments.

Lincolnshire County Council manages filming on county highways and directly operates Lincoln Castle; Lincoln Cathedral and Stamford town centre require separate permissions.

North Northamptonshire Council manages filming permits for public highways and council land across Corby, Kettering, Wellingborough, and East Northamptonshire.

Nottingham City Council covers the Lace Market, Castle Quarter, and civic spaces — note the city's tram network requires early coordination for road closures.

Shropshire Council manages filming permits for county highways and public land, with Ironbridge Gorge and major heritage sites under independent management.

Bath & North East Somerset Council manages permits in the UNESCO World Heritage city, with complex heritage landowner structures and premium fees.

Bristol City Council coordinates filming permits across streets, harbourside, and parks, with the Harbourmaster's office handling additional consents for water-adjacent shoots.

Exeter City Council manages filming in city parks and public spaces; Exeter Cathedral Close requires a separate permit from the Dean and Chapter.

Plymouth City Council covers the Barbican, the Hoe, and the naval city's waterfront, with the Royal Citadel and Naval Base each requiring separate MOD permissions.

Wiltshire Council manages filming on county highways and land; Stonehenge, Lacock, Avebury, and Longleat all require separate permissions from English Heritage, the National Trust, or private owners.

Winchester City Council manages filming in city public spaces; Winchester Cathedral, Winchester College, and county highways require separate permissions.

Cambridge City Council covers public streets and open spaces; University of Cambridge colleges manage their own filming permissions for college buildings and The Backs.

Norfolk County Council manages county highway filming; the Broads Authority covers waterway locations, and Norwich city streets go through Norwich City Council.

Suffolk County Council manages filming on county highways and land; Ipswich, Aldeburgh, Lavenham, and Suffolk's heritage sites each fall under district councils or independent management.

Loch Lomond and The Trossachs NPA manages filming via a direct online application form; no payment required until permission is confirmed.

Screen Scotland connects productions to councils, NatureScot, and Historic Environment Scotland for filming anywhere in Scotland.

Aberdeen City Council manages filming across Scotland's third city, covering granite streets, Union Street, and Marischal College.

Film Edinburgh is the free production support office for Edinburgh, East Lothian, Midlothian, and the Scottish Borders, with current application forms updated for 2026/27.

Dundee City Council supports production across Scotland's fourth city, including the regenerated V&A waterfront and the city's distinctive hillside streets.

Glasgow City Council's filming office supports productions on council-owned land, streets, and parks with competitive fees and supportive logistics.

The Highland Film Office manages filming permits across the UK's largest council area, co-ordinating road, planning, and civic permissions for productions in the Highlands.

Eryri National Park Authority manages filming on NPA land in Snowdonia; most upland and mountain terrain is on private agricultural or Natural Resources Wales land requiring separate permissions.

Film Cymru Wales connects productions to local authorities, Cadw, and Natural Resources Wales for filming anywhere in Wales.

Cardiff Film Office provides single-point contact for productions filming in the Welsh capital, covering council streets, parks, and civic buildings.

Gwynedd Council manages filming on county highways and land; Caernarfon Castle is Cadw-managed, and the Eryri (Snowdonia) National Park has a separate permit authority.

Pembrokeshire County Council manages filming on county highways and land; most coastal locations fall within the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, which has a separate permit process.

Swansea Council manages filming permits for Wales's second city, covering the waterfront, Gower access points, and city centre.

Northern Ireland Screen coordinates filming support across NI, where public roads are managed by DfI Roads rather than individual councils.

Belfast City Council grants commercial filming permissions in its parks and open spaces with published hourly fee rates.