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The developers of a £750 million film studio near London have appealed against a planning notice that blocked the design. The studio is set to be part of a wave of modern production facilities for films and high-quality television in the UK.
Marlow Film Studios said on Wednesday that it would ask the Planning Inspectorate, which is responsible for appeals and applications in England, to review the planning permission refused by Buckinghamshire Council in May.
The company behind the major studio project, which was backed by artists and filmmakers such as James Cameron and Sir Sam Mendes, said it would have created up to 4,000 jobs.
However, the local authority blocked the project on the grounds that it had concerns about the road network in the region and the use of green spaces for development.
The Marlow Film Studios facility is located in a former quarry and landfill site beside a motorway outside the town of Marlow, just over 30 miles west of London.
However, the site was designated as a green belt area and the planned film studio met with resistance from environmentalists and green belt activists.
People familiar with the project said they hoped the political “conditions” for approval had improved, citing Labour’s relaxation of planning rules announced in the Prime Minister’s speech and its commitment to the arts and economic growth.
Once the appeal, which will also include a request for a public inquiry, is lodged in Marlow, the government could decide to launch a review of the plan.
The UK has become an important part of the global film industry in recent years, thanks to a combination of tax breaks for production and world-class talent attracting Hollywood studios. Last year, half of the top 20 grossing films worldwide were partly filmed in the UK, including Barbie And Napoleon.
There are already a number of large studios in the UK, including Pinewood, also in Buckinghamshire, and Shepperton in Surrey, but officials say new studio space is needed to meet demand from streaming services, with further facilities planned in Sunderland, Liverpool and London.
Robert Laycock, managing director of Marlow Film Studios, said this year that the market for purpose-built studio space was “still severely constrained” and had not yet caught up with demand, which had increased fivefold over the past decade.
In a statement, the developers said: “Despite the council’s decision to reject our application, we remain confident in the strength of our arguments and the benefits our investment will bring.”
Marlow Film Studios added that the facility will represent £3.2 billion of investment in the region over its first ten years of operation, “a significant growth investment in jobs and skills for Buckinghamshire and the UK” and will help “keep Britain at the forefront of global competition”.
The developers also committed to investing in local transport infrastructure and public transport.
Buckinghamshire Council has been asked for comment.
