Ministers have approved a development to build a £750m Hollywood-style film and TV studios in Marlow, west of London, a project that has faced local opposition and been seen as a test of Labour’s appetite to prioritise economic growth.
The Marlow Film Studios project has received high-profile backing from film-makers including the director of 1917, Sam Mendes, the director of Titanic and Avatar, James Cameron, and the Captain Phillips director, Paul Greengrass.
Last year, Buckinghamshire county council rejected the planning application, prompting its backers to lodge an appeal to the national planning body to get the decision overturned.
However, Angela Rayner, the former secretary of state for housing, communities and local government, called in the planning application. The outcome of the review had been seen as a benchmark for Labour’s desire to put economic growth ahead of local opposition, as stated repeatedly by the chancellor, Rachel Reeves.
On Wednesday – hours before Reeves presented her budget in Westminster – Matthew Pennycook, the housing and planning minister, said the secretary of state, Steve Reed, had agreed to grant planning permission.
The proposed new creative campus, which will create 4,000 jobs, includes 18 sound stages as well as a culture and skills academy.
“The secretary of state’s determination is a real vote of confidence in the UK and in its creative industries,” said Robert Laycock, the chief executive of Marlow Film Studios. “Regenerating a poorly landfilled site to enable new careers and pass on exceptional skills in this world-beating British industry is the right decision. It’s a signal to investors who aim for high-quality development, done in the right way.”
Victoria Du Croz, the head of planning at the law firm Forsters, said while the government noted that the project would potentially harm green-belt land, its focus was driving growth.
“Steve Reed’s decision notes that the development of the film studio would cause potential harm to the green belt through inappropriateness and openness,” she said. “The decision gave greater weight to the wider benefits to justify this development in the green belt, including its alignment with the growth agenda given it would attract global investment. The government’s growth agenda is its core focus and with millions of square feet of studio space playing host to some of the top films of the current day, the wider economic benefit is hard to turn down.”
A local campaign group opposed to the studio complex, Save Marlow’s Greenbelt (SMG), has said the site was not derelict and supported a valuable ecosystem, while its openness helped to protect the character of the Buckingham town and surrounding villages.
The group said it was disappointed with the decision but would not be seeking to challenge the decision through a high court action.
“We believe the development will cause significant and lasting harm to the environment, the local community, and the landscape,” said Sam Kershaw, the leader of SMG and a parish councillor. “Throughout this process, our detailed analysis of the film industry and the developer’s claims exposed numerous material weaknesses and errors in their case, which, in our view, should have resulted in refusal. This marks the end of a long campaign. We will continue to defend Marlow’s green belt against inappropriate development.”
In September, the government also stepped in to approve plans to almost double the size of Sky’s studios in Elstree, Hertfordshire, rejected by Hertsmere borough council over green belt concerns, after the land was reclassified as “grey belt”.
In June, the government blocked plans to build one of the UK’s biggest film and TV studios in Holyport, Berkshire, citing “potential harm to the green belt”.
In April, the government agreed a deal with the US company Comcast, the owner of Universal Studios, to build its first theme park in Europe in Bedford. The attraction is being built on a 192-hectare (476-acre) site at the former Kempston Hardwick brickworks, and is due to open in 2031.
The government also overruled planning inspectors earlier this year and approved an almost doubling of capacity at Luton airport, which is expected to be one of the main air hubs used by visitors to the theme park.
