Our Terms & Conditions | Our Privacy Policy
Plans to build ‘the third largest film studio in the country’ in Holyport have been rejected by the government.
Investment company Greystoke Land had appealed to the government to allow the film studio to be built after councillors at the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead refused to grant planning permission.
But minister for housing and planning Matthew Pennycook MP rejected the appeal today (Friday) – citing its ‘potential harm to the greenbelt’.
Greystoke Land applied for permission to build the huge studio complex on both sides of Gays Lane in 2022.
The plans included sound stages, workshops, offices, footpaths, a multi-storey car park, a ‘backlot’ filming area, a new roundabout, and a ‘media village’ for post-production.
But councillors voted to refused to grant the studios planning permission in March 2024.
The councillors agreed with their planning officers who said the development would be inappropriate on the greenbelt.
Planning officers argued that there were no ‘very special circumstances’ to allow the development, saying that the film studios were ‘simply not needed’.
In its appeal, Graystoke Land argued that the council had ‘exaggerated’ the harm to the greenbelt and ‘ignored’ its economic benefits.
It said there were ‘very special circumstances’ that would justify building the studios on the greenbelt.
Property consultant Montagu Evans argued: “This is no ordinary development proposal and nor is it one that meets a generic need that could be met anywhere.”
It said there was a ‘rapidly growing need for studio floorspace’ and a ‘pressing need for the proposed development’.
But the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead argued that Greystoke had ‘overstated’ the economic case for the studios.
Council officers argued that the development of other studios in Berkshire and the south east meant there was less of a case for building another one in Holyport.
The appeal was heard by a planning inspector last November – but government housing ministers said they would make the final decision.
The inspector recommended that ministers dismiss the appeal.
Mr Pennycook, who made the decision on behalf of Secretary of State for Housing Angela Rayner MP, said the government supports ‘the growth of the creative industries in the UK’.
But he said she agreed with the inspector that ‘there is likely to be sufficient capacity within existing studio space’ for the industry ‘for the immediate future’.
Ms Rayner also agreed that Greystoke Land had not searched widely enough for ‘reasonably alternative sites’.
Mr Pennycook said: “The Secretary of State is not persuaded that a clear and convincing need case has been demonstrated.”
He said she considered that the harm to the greenbelt ‘is not clearly outweighed by other considerations and therefore there are no very special circumstances which would justify this development’.
He added Ms Rayner ‘hereby dismisses your client’s appeal and refuses planning permission for outline planning application’.
[ad_1]
Images are for reference only.Images and contents gathered automatic from google or 3rd party sources.All rights on the images and contents are with their legal original owners.
Aggregated From –
[ad_2]
Comments are closed.