UK film studio developers to appeal against rejection of £750m project

The developers of a planned £750m film studio near London backed by Hollywood directors including Titanic’s James Cameron have said they hope to revive the stalled project, in a case seen as a test of a broader push by the new government to prioritise economic growth.
Marlow Film Studios said it would appeal to a national planning body after the proposed new complex was rejected earlier this year by Buckinghamshire county council.
“In spite of the council’s decision to refuse our application, we remain confident of the strength of our case, and of the benefits that our investment will bring to the local community and the wider national economy,” it said.
The company is owned by four local business people and lists Cameron, the James Bond director Sam Mendes and the Captain Phillips director Paul Greengrass as its supporters. Backers hope the new studios within London’s commuter belt will provide 4,000 jobs, half of them local to the area around Marlow.
The council rejected the plan in May, saying there was insufficient evidence to justify the studios being built on greenbelt land, which is intended to prevent urban sprawl into the countryside.
Shortly after Labour won last month’s general election, the new chancellor, Rachel Reeves, said she wanted to change planning rules and would give new instructions to local authorities that sites in poor-quality parts of the greenbelt be considered for development.
Marlow Film Studios said the project would be built on a former landfill site.
A local campaign group opposed to the studio complex, Save Marlow’s Greenbelt, has said the site is not derelict and supports a valuable ecosystem, while its openness helps to protect the character of the Buckingham town and surrounding villages.
In its decision in May, the council also noted the impact of increased traffic on local roads. Marlow Film Studios said it would invest in traffic infrastructure and public transport.
The UK already boasts several large studios including Shepperton in Surrey and Pinewood, which is also in Buckinghamshire, but space had been constrained in recent years amid the streaming boom before a recent slowdown.