Filming in Northumberland: permits and fees

Who issues permits

Northumberland County Council manages filming on council-maintained public land, highways, and civic assets. The county runs from the Cheviots to the coast, and many of the most-filmed locations here fall under separate management: Alnwick Castle is a private ducal estate, Bamburgh Castle is independently managed, and Cragside is National Trust. The Northumberland National Park Authority covers the uplands and Hadrian’s Wall corridor separately.

Process

Contact the council for public highway and council-land filming. A full production brief — crew numbers, vehicles, dates, risk assessment — should accompany any formal application. Allow four to six weeks for anything involving road closures. Hexham town centre and Kielder Forest both fall within the county but under different management tiers.

Fees

Fees are set by the council on application. Heritage site fees — English Heritage, National Trust, private estates — are negotiated directly with each owner. There is no central fee schedule for the county’s independent heritage properties.

Hadrian’s Wall and World Heritage Sites

Hadrian’s Wall is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Any filming on or immediately adjacent to the wall requires approval from English Heritage in addition to any council or National Park Authority permissions. Consult early — these applications require site management coordination and can involve seasonal access restrictions.

Kielder Forest

Kielder Forest is managed by Forestry England, which operates its own filming licence process separately from the county council.

Contact

• Email: business@northumberland.gov.uk
• Web: northumberland.gov.uk

Apply via Northumberland County Council → northumberland.gov.uk