Everything you need to know about Marlow Film Studios

The plans for Marlow Film Studios, a large-scale development proposed for Greenbelt land near the A404 Marlow bypass, have generated passionate discourse from all sides ever since they were first submitted to Buckinghamshire Council for planning consideration nearly three years ago.

Following numerous assessments of the studio’s impact on local transport and wildlife, weigh-ins from concerned residents, Hollywood directors and the Prime Minister and one deferred council decision already under its belt, the controversial project may now be heading into its actual final stretch.

Although a spokesperson for the council’s planning team said a date has not yet been confirmed for a second meeting to discuss, and hopefully decide on the plans, the Free Press understands that those involved are working towards a provisional deadline of Thursday, May 30.

With that in mind, we’ve decided to look back at Marlow Film Studio’s long and sometimes convoluted planning history to establish what a definitive decision either way might mean for that infamous patch of land near the spur road in Little Marlow.

Dido Property Ltd, the company behind the film studio, submitted a raft of new transport proposals in February, largely in response to transport concerns raised by councillors on the Strategic Sites Committee during an initial discussion last autumn.

The submission outlined plans for a £20 million investment into local transport infrastructure, including an upgrade of the Westhorpe Interchange, an already-congested roundabout near the studio site that could be overstressed by more commuter traffic.

Buckinghamshire Highways has not been convinced by the new plans, however, and officers recommended that the application be refused last week because of concerns that the development would have a “severe impact on the local network”.

Plans for landscaping and wildlife preservation work on a pocket of land adjoining the 56-hectare studio site have also been put forward by developers to address qualms over its development on Greenbelt land.

The land in question would make up one-third of the total development site and include 300 newly planted trees and ponds with the goal of achieving a biodiversity net gain of 20 per cent.

Developers have framed the 89-acre stretch, which sits next to another field to the south of the studio that would be used as a filming backlot, as a “contribution” to the long-awaited Little Marlow Lakes Country Park.

Is it enough, though? Speaking at the committee meeting last year, Councillor Peter Cooper summarised the internal conflict plaguing many torn in their views on the project when he described it as a toss-up between “guaranteed (environmental) harm and potential (economic) benefits”.

Indeed, Dido has made much of the economic argument for a film studio in Little Marlow. Speaking recently, CEO Robert Laycock described Buckinghamshire as “the powerhouse of British film”, pointing to the “mighty” 21 per cent cut of the global Box Office contributed by UK-made films in the last six years.

However, local campaigners have sought to find discrepancies in the much-touted economic case. The BFI also revealed that spending on film and TV production in the UK fell by 35 per cent last year and Save Marlow’s Greenbelt members quibble claims that 4,000 new jobs would be created by the project, suggesting that the workforce could be made up of existing freelancers instead.

A cavalcade of voices of assent, dissent and mediation have also accompanied the development through all its various twists and turns.

Titanic director James Cameron recently said his innovative 3D production company LIGHTSTORM could be based at Marlow Film Studios, ideally placed as it would be at “the heart of Europe’s most important screen economic zone”.

Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer has also seemingly thrown her support behind the project, though local Conservative MP Joy Morrissey is adamantly opposed, and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak remained cautiously non-partisan when asked about the plans earlier this year.

After the Strategic Sites Committee reconvenes to make its decision, either the studio developers or environmental campaigners could seek to overturn the application’s approval or refusal through the Planning Inspectorate.

The inspectorate would then decide to uphold or reject an appeal based on whether Bucks Council could be deemed to have contradicted its developmental or planning policy. So while an end to the long-running saga seems to be in sight now, there’s a decent chance that we’re only just getting started.

The Marlow Film Studios application can be viewed on Buckinghamshire Council’s planning portal under reference 22/06443/FULEA.