Author: SMG

There have been some news reports about a “signed deal” or “signed contract” between Buckinghamshire Council and Dido Property Limited in relation to the film studio. We want to make sure that everyone understands the real meaning of this.

First of all: it does not mean that the planning application for the film studio is approved (or even likely to be approved) or that Buckinghamshire Council has changed its mind about refusing the application. The decision is still outstanding after the public inquiry, with Angela Rayner MP having the final say.

The signed agreement is a “without prejudice” contract. It does not indicate that the development is going ahead. Councils are always encouraged to set up a Section 106 agreement before a development is started so that the local residents are protected and receive the promised benefits if the plans go ahead.

Cllr Anna Crabtree was involved in the creation of the agreement on behalf of Little Marlow Parish Council and responsible for some protections included in the document.

We are now one week into the public inquiry of Marlow Film Studios. Inspector Katie McDonald has listened to witness statements on design, landscape and amenity. Cllr Anna Crabtree, representing Little Marlow Parish Council on residential amenity, was heavily cross-examined by the appellant. She maintained a compelling, strong case that the quality of life as a resident here would be destroyed forever if the film studio was built.

The Inspector also listened to over 80 interested party statements for and against the proposal. The objection statements were overwhelming and invaluable, and we thank you for your continued involvement and support!

A visit with the Inspector to the 90 acre site and overlooking areas has now been made. We expect she will be fully aware of the beauty of this area, and all it means for residents that live in Little Marlow, Marlow, and surrounding areas.

Week two will see more witness statements by the appellant on landscape, in addition to witness statements from Bucks Council on a need for a film studio. Sam Kershaw, representing SMG, will also be cross-examined by the appellant on the economic viability of having a film studio here in Marlow on Thursday 30^th January from 2pm. Please do attend to support him and SMG if you are able. (He may also need a drink afterwards!)

The inquiry will be held for 17 days in total, although this can be extended should more time be required. Both Sam and Anna will continue to work with our legal teams until the end of the inquiry.

For more information, you can look at the Inspector’s Programme for the inquiry. All members of the public are welcome to attend Buckinghamshire Council’s Office, 2nd Floor, Albert House, Queen Victoria Rd, HP11 1BB. If you are unable to attend in person, the inquiry is being live-streamed here www.buckinghamshire.gov.uk/marlow-film/.

Please stay tuned in for the next update. Thank you for your continued support, your donations and involvement in ensuring the film studio planning application does not succeed.

The Public Inquiry into the proposed Marlow Film Studio starts tomorrow (Tuesday 21st Jan 10am) at Buckinghamshire Council’s Office, 2nd Floor, Albert House, Queen Victoria Rd, HP11 1BB.

PLEASE ATTEND TO SHOW YOUR SUPPORT

If you would like to speak, please come along:

• Tuesday 21st January (tomorrow) from 10am
• Wednesday 22^nd January 6-8pm
• Friday 24^th January 10am

We look forward to seeing you there, we will keep you updated as the inquiry progresses.

We have been working very hard over the past few weeks, submitting our statements of case, evidence and now rebuttals prior to the inquiry starting on the 21st January 2025.

Legal Representation

Thanks to your hard work, fundraising and donating to our fighting fund, we have achieved our funding target for this round. We have appointed legal representation from Francis Taylor Building to represent SMG and LMPC. Anna and Sam have been working tirelessly over the last 2 months building our case against Dido, sacrificing precious family time over the festive period to lead the fight.

The Public Inquiry

The Inquiry is scheduled to start on the 21st January 2025, 10 AM at Albert House, Queen Victoria Rd, High Wycombe, HP11 1BB and is scheduled to last for 17 days. There is however a chance that the duration may well be extended once the inquiry starts. Buckinghamshire Council has set up a dedicated web page, so the public have access to all documentation submitted to the Inquiry. We will publish the detailed agenda nearer the time.

Public Speaking

As this is a Public inquiry anyone has the right to speak, at the allocated time, at the Inspector’s discretion. Unlike the Strategic Sites Committee meeting this is NOT limited to 3 minutes, however Buckinghamshire Council have asked people to register if they wish to speak by emailing PRIOR to 5 PM on Tuesday 14th January 2025. Public speaking is scheduled for Wednesday 22^nd January in the evening – time TBC. Any previous written submissions, will be considered by the Inspector, so please ensure that, if you do speak, you are no restating points already raised. If in doubt, please contact one of the SMG trustees for advice.

Attending the Inquiry

Dido will, no doubt, be bussing in supporters from far afield, so your presence at the inquiry is more than welcome and encouraged, even if it is just for a few hours.  Please note that there will be limited parking, so please park in town and consider car sharing where possible. Please remember that this is a formal inquiry and the general public attending must be respectful and only speak at times allocated. If you are planning on attending, Buckinghamshire Council have asked that you email them to let them know, even if you are not planning to speak. If you cannot attend in person, the inquiry will be live-streamed at www.buckinghamshire.gov.uk/marlow-film/.

The outcome

The outcome of the inquiry will be a report and recommendation by the inspector to Angela Raynor MP, who will ultimately make the final decision. This decision will not be likely to be published for some months. We will be encouraging all SMG supporters to write personally to Ms Raynor, but we are advised that we should hold off until the file is “on her desk”. We will keep you informed and advise when this should be done.

Further Fundraising

We continue to raise funds for our PR campaign. We appreciate that you have all given money and time already, but further donations are needed, especially if the inquiry is extended, so please donate.

Should you have any question or queries, please contact us.

The Statement of Case that Save Marlow’s Greenbelt has submitted has now been published and you can read a copy here.

Our volunteers, together with the legal team and experts, are now putting together evidence to substantiate our position.

Whilst our fundraising campaign continues we would like to thank all of you who have supported us so far.

Over 200 people attended SMG’s emergency meeting last month to hear the latest news on the Film Studio appeal and to help us with our fundraising efforts. This has been a huge success and in just over a month you have helped us raise over £26,000 which is fantastic – thank you all very much indeed!

Your donations have enabled us to instruct a barrister who will represent us at the forthcoming inquiry which starts on the 21st January 2025. This is a huge step forward and will enable us to put up a strong fight.

We will argue that Dido Property (Guernsey) Ltd has not justified the Studio’s harm to the Green Belt. Specifically, we will explain why their claims for generating employment and economic growth are unclear, insubstantial and uncertain. Our Statement of Case has now been submitted to the Planning Inspectorate and will be publicly available for you to read in the next few days.

Our next task is to prepare evidence for our case. For this we will need more professional services. We will also need professional support in raising public awareness about the damage the scheme would cause and about its lack of benefits to the economy.

For this we will need to raise more funds. If you are considering donating but just haven’t managed to get around to it, please can we urge you to do this today. If you are happy to donate again then please do so. And please spread the word!

We desperately need funds to fight the planning appeal submitted by the film studio developers, which will go to an inquiry in January 2025. These funds are required for barrister representation and other consultant experts, in order to ensure that our message is put forward in the most robust manner. Your support is vital to help us protect our greenbelt.

We are looking to raise at least £75,000 in a short space of time. If you can afford a donation of £100 that would be fantastic. If not, please donate any amount that you can, even if it is spread over several months.

If you are in a position where you can make a larger donation and would like some advice on how best to do that, please contact David Porter, the SMG treasurer, at treasurer@savemarlowsgreenbelt.org.

Thank you for all your support so far, the fight is not over and we still need you.

We are delighted to announce that our second Annual General Meeting will be held on Wednesday 30th October at 7.30 pm. We will be holding this event at Liston Hall, Chapel Street, Marlow SL7 1DD.

There is a Pay & Display car park just next door to Liston Hall in Liston Rd. Parking after 7 pm is free of charge.

We are looking forward to meeting you and discussing what we have achieved so far and our plans going forward, for Save Marlow’s Greenbelt.

This week has also seen formal confirmation of an appeal against refusal of permission by Dido Property Ltd which will be determined on the basis of an inquiry. Please do come along to hear the latest on the film studio appeal, how Save Marlow’s Greenbelt plans to get involved and how you can help.

Save Marlow’s Greenbelt is opposed to the Film Studio for the same reasons that led to its refusal by Buckinghamshire Council. There is no justification for the devastating impact it would have on the environment and community because the British film industry already has more than enough studios. It could not and would not generate any incremental employment or economic growth.

We have no doubt that the studio’s backers have been lobbying the government to approve their appeal in the hope that proposed changes to the greenbelt regulations will work in their favour. However, these changes are to address the housing crisis, not to enable wealthy property developers to make a quick buck by building an unnecessary studio on “cheap” land. We trust that the Secretary of State will recognise this and leave the inspector to determine the appeal on established planning principles.

We are surprised that the developers have decided to appeal given the strength of the refusal by Buckinghamshire Council and their inability to mitigate the significant harm that the studio would cause.

However, we will continue to fight against it and look forward to participating inthe inquiry.