Hollywood heavyweight backs case to restart £750m UK film studio project

Supported by James Cameron, Marlow Film Studios will test the new Labour government's pledge to relax planning regulations to boost business

Director James Cameron wrote a letter of support for the proposed Marlow Film Studios in Buckinghamshire, near London. AFP

The company behind a £750 million ($990 million) project to build a new film studio to the north-west of London is set to rev up a stalled scheme in what will widely be seen as a test of the new Labour government's promise to slash planning red tape and boost British businesses.

Marlow Film Studios, which is supported by Titanic and Avatar director James Cameron, will appeal to a national planning body after its proposed studio complex was rejected this year in the county of Buckinghamshire.

“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,” the company said.

Buckinghamshire County Council rejected the plan in May, claiming there was insufficient evidence to justify building the studio on what is deemed “greenbelt” land, which is supposed to stop urban areas spreading too far into the countryside.

However, within weeks the Labour Party won Britain's general election and the new Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, repeated a pledge to “grasp the nettle of planning reform” and said the government would focus on a “new growth-focused approach to the planning system”.

Marlow Film Studios, which also has support from British directors Sam Mendes and Paul Greengrass, said the project would create 4,000 jobs, of which half would go to people in the local area, which lies about 55km from central London.

A source told The National that if the project goes ahead, it would be “one of Buckinghamshire's largest employers and one of the UK's most significant commercial investments”.

“Its provision of advanced and high-quality studio space will cement the UK's global role as a leader in film production,” they said. “This role is a position underpinned by significant international investment, reflecting the confidence of global film production companies and the capital markets in the UK creative sector.

The company commissioned a poll in April, which found 79 per cent of people in the Marlow area supported the project.

However, environmental group Save Marlow Green Belt cited an alternative survey, which held that 85 per cent of Marlow residents were against the building of the studios.

The group said local employment prospects are already served by the 10 existing studios nearby, including the famous Pinewood.

In May, Save Marlow Green Belt recommended the developers of Marlow Film Studios “don’t throw good money after bad by going to appeal and that they draw a line under this sorry episode”.

Skills and resources

Mr Cameron sent a letter to Buckingham County Council in May, saying the film studios at Marlow could potentially be a European base for his Lightstorm3D company, which develops technology for the industry.

In the letter, Mr Cameron said the UK's share of global revenue from the film sector would increase if state-of-the-art studios such as the Marlow proposal were built in Britain, and professionals would have access to spaces of exceptional technical capability.

Overall, the UK is a big draw for Hollywood filmmakers and there are several studios in and around London, including new purpose-built facilities to the east of London at the Barking Riverside development.

Numerous blockbusters, including the Indiana Jones and Lord of the Rings franchises, have spent time in production in the UK, where the total spending on film and high-end TV production in 2023 amounted to £4.23 billion, according to the British Film Institute (BFI).

Seventy-eight per cent of that (£3.31 billion) came from inward investment, with the bulk coming from the US.

There are also many tax incentives for foreign producers to make films in the UK. In his final budget in April, former chancellor Jeremy Hunt announced 40 per cent relief on business rates for film studios until 2034.