Marlow residents opposed to the multi-million-pound project going before Angela Rayner next year are fundraising for top legal representation to help protect local greenbelt land.

Campaign group Save Marlow’s Greenbelt has been vocally critical of the Marlow Film Studios plans since they were first put forward by developer Dido Property Limited back in 2022.

While the group’s name offers some insight into its environmentally skewed stance on the plans to build a £750 million studio on protected land near the A404, co-chairs Sam Kershaw and Richard Sherwin have also questioned the economic arguments touted by proponents of the development and have broadened their opposition to encompass the project’s potential impact on local roads and the wider ecosystem.

The studio complex was refused by Buckinghamshire Council following a six-hour debate back in May for the aforementioned reasons, but an inquiry into the decision will begin in January and housing secretary Angela Rayner confirmed she would be having the final say on the project earlier this month.

While Mr Kershaw and Mr Sherwin may have had cause to celebrate in the spring, they’re now laser-focused on fighting a U-turn on the project’s dismissal in any way they can.

And the latest component of what is continuing to be a hard-fought campaign is a fresh call for donations to bolster the group in the face of mounting obstacles – with a new target of £75,000 announced to members this week.

Urging supporters to give “any amount that you can” to a JustGiving page, a spokesperson for Save Marlow’s Greenbelt said: “We desperately need funds to fight the planning appeal submitted by the film studio developers, which will go to an inquiry in January 2025.

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“These funds are required for barrister representation and other consultant experts (to) ensure that our message is put forward in the most robust manner.

“Your support is vital to help us protect our greenbelt.”

Mr Kershaw told the Free Press last week: “We expect the forthcoming planning inquiry to reveal that the economic benefits (of the project) would be negligible, and we hope that Angela Rayner will decide this is not a good use of greenbelt land as it does nothing to generate growth or fix the housing crisis.”

Contradictorily, a spokesperson for Dido said Ms Rayner’s ‘calling in’ of the plans confirmed the development’s “national importance”.

They added: “With the global film and entertainment industry due to reach £1.1 trillion in value in the coming years, the UK needs to be best placed to maintain its leading position.

“If approved, Marlow Film Studios will strengthen the long-term foundations for the industry. The high-technology studio campus we would deliver will meet the needs of global investors and production companies, preparing the UK for the next half-century of British filmmaking.”