An MP has renewed her stance in opposition to a proposed film studio as the development gains momentum ahead of an imminent decision by the planning authority.

The Marlow Film Studios project has been the subject of local debate since it was first submitted to the Buckinghamshire Council planning portal back in 2022.

Ahead of a decision on whether it will go ahead or not, which is expected to be made by the Local Planning Authority later this year, Daily Mail columnist Robert Hardman penned an article about the development this week, dubbing it "a story with important implications for planning, for economic priorities and for Britain's soft cultural power".

Acknowledging that the proposed studio site is on Greenbelt land, Hardman added that despite being located within a "particularly pretty part of Buckinghamshire", the A404-adjacent site is "no beauty spot" and is in fact "an empty patch of scrubland".

In response to the piece, MP for Beaconsfield and Marlow Joy Morrissey has reiterated a stance previously taken in a comment of objection submitted to the planning portal in July 2022, indicating the impact the development would have on the surrounding areas.

She said: "My priority is protecting the green spaces that are the reason so many of us have chosen to make this area our home. The Greenbelt must be protected, which is why I personally wrote to the planning officers to state my objection to the development.”

In Ms Morrissey’s letter of objection, she wrote: “The site that is being proposed is open Greenbelt land, and part of Little Marlow Lakes Country Park. 

“The whole point of Greenbelt is to protect sites like this one. If Buckinghamshire Council fails to do so, it will send a clear message to developers that other such sites are worth targeting.”

It comes after Marlow Film Studios developers unveiled the proposal's latest sustainable travel documents, laying out in full the plans to cap car journeys to the site at 60 per cent, launch two fully funded local bus routes and install a signalised crossing across the Westhorpe Roundabout for pedestrians and cyclists with access to the studio.

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New reports commissioned by the developers also indicated that there would be a 20 per cent uplift in on-site biodiversity as a result of the studio compared to its present condition.

Sam Kershaw, a leading member of the campaign group Save Marlow's Greenbelt, said the proposal for a film studio development had caused a backlash due in part to a now-scrapped decision by Wycombe District Council back in 2017 to turn the site into a country park.

He said: "Perhaps we are NIMBYs, but when the 'backyard' could be such a fantastic environmental asset, we feel justified in trying to protect it for the community. 

“Less than one per cent of Pinewood staff use public transport and there are simply no measures that can mitigate the congestion and it will have a devastating impact on the local economy, people’s lives and the already dangerous air quality in Marlow.

“The Greenbelt is intended to keep land open, to prevent urban sprawl and protect the character of the area. It would be shocking if councillors agreed to destroy it for the sake of some extra business rate income and the opportunity to rub shoulders with the stars.”

CEO Robert Laycock said: “Six of the top thirteen performing films globally this year are British-made, boosting local creative skills and bringing highly productive and rewarding careers to the economy.

“This British project has been located and designed for this once in a multi-generational chance to keep a stellar local economic sector thriving, all while being based on good principles of sustainable development.

“Our masterplan delivers over 4,000 new jobs, brings £380 million annually to the local economy and adds 75 acres exclusively for recreation, enhanced habitats and training of a very special quality. This is a unique opportunity of global significance for the community and local culture.”

There have been over 3200 letters of support submitted to the planning portal, including from Town Councillor and former Mayor Richard Scott, although campaigners said they believe the majority of supportive letters had come from people living outside of the immediate area, who would not be impacted first-hand by the development.