Planning inquiry held into Buckinghamshire proposal earlier this year after scheme was rejected last May
Plans for a £750m film studio in Buckinghamshire have been approved by the government after a planning inquiry earlier this year.
The Marlow Film Studios plans were initially rejected by Buckinghamshire council last May, amid concerns about developing on protected Green Belt land.
But developer Dido Property Limited lodged an appeal with a five weeks-long public inquiry taking place in January and February this year.
Secretary of state Steve Reed has now granted approval for the scheme in a 266-page announcement made public just hours before this afternoon’s Budget.
The studios would be one of the largest in the UK, aiming to produce three large blockbuster film shoots a year on a 36ha greenbelt site in Marlow.
Designed by Wilkinson Eye, it will consist of two main production clusters featuring sound stages, workshops, office accommodation and a 168,000sq m production facility.
But the application has received hundreds of objections from locals, including from the local Conservative MP, Joy Morrisey, who said the scheme was “unsuitable” for the area and would set a precedent for future development on greenbelt land.
Most of the objections focussed on concerns over the scheme’s impact on traffic levels and local infrastructure, including the neighbouring Westhorpe Junction.
Dido Property submitted an updated transport plan for the scheme proposing a new roundabout, new signalised road crossings, upgrades to existing footpaths and cycleways and two new bus routes – but the scheme was refused planning by the county council.
Marlow Film Studios chief executive Robert Laycock said: “The determination is a real vote of confidence in the UK and in its creative industries.”
Also working on the project team is cost consultant and structural engineer Aecom, project manager Third London Wall and landscape architect Gillespies.
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