The planning application for the film studio project, proposed by Dido Property Limited (Guernsey), has been submitted to the council, who are now validating the documents provided.
We need to engage a professional planning consultant to go through all the documents with a fine toothcomb to object with undisputable reasons. This means we need funds now more than ever.
Most people have donated at least £20, but several have donated more, for which we are grateful. If you can, please donate via JustGiving, PayPal or bank transfer.
On Thursday 26th May we sent the following open letter to the Directors of Dido Property Limited (Guernsey):
The construction of a film studio in Marlow will have a significant impact on the environment, on the character of the area and on the daily lives of local people. You have made it clear that you believe the impact will be beneficial whereas we, at SMG, believe that it will be detrimental.
Your consultation activities and our campaigning has resulted in residents and local organisations being presented with conflicting arguments about the merits of the development. This has caused uncertainty and confusion about many important issues and consequently made it difficult for them to form a considered opinion.
We believe that the best way to resolve this is to have the arguments for and against the development held up to public scrutiny. Therefore, we invite three directors of Dido to participate in a public debate with three members of SMG. A neutral moderator will raise questions around an agreed set of topics (economy, environment, traffic etc) and each side will argue their position. We propose that the event takes place shortly after the application has been submitted.
We trust that you recognise the importance of allowing the public to hear both sides of the argument and therefore we hope you will accept this invitation.
MarlowFM’s Malcolm Parr will be dedicating a show on Friday at 10 am to the Marlow Film Studio plans, as the planning application has been submitted.
The first half of the show will be dedicated to discussion with the developers, represented by Steve McAdam, the director of the “public consultation agency” Soundings, hired by Dido Property Limited (Guernsey). The second half will feature people from Save Marlow’s Greenbelt to discuss the impact of the proposed project and our main objections.
Listen live on FM 97.5 or marlowfm.co.uk this Friday from 10 am. Do show your support on social media (Facebook, Twitter) and tag @MarlowFM.
Let’s be clear about the reality for local residents as opposed to the PR spin of perceived glamour behind the barbed wire fence. Show your support for our cause with these A4 posters (PDF here and here) to print out and display in your window or other suitable location.
Did you know our local greenbelt is a vital resource for numerous protected wildlife species? The land currently under threat between Marlow and Little Marlow is a rich mixed wildlife habitat including lakes, grassland, woodland and hedgerows.
Regular sightings and evidence include 3 species of owls, 7 species of bats, 3 species of wild orchids, hobby, badgers, kingfishers, otters, stag beetles, peregrine falcons, newts, kestrels, toads, red kites, hedgehogs, skylarks and many many more.
What happens when we remove their breeding and foraging habitats? Simple, they perish. Many species require a territory or vegetation/geology specific conditions to thrive. When these are removed the creatures can no longer exist.
The UK is one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world. We must do everything we can to stop the decline, by safeguarding these precious habitats.
The State of Nature Report identifies UK wildlife in serious decline, with 1 in 7 species now at risk of extinction. Loss of habitat through development is a major cause. Only last week, the Office for Environmental Protection released a statement that existing laws are failing to slow the damage to land, air and water.
Go and admire our local natural diversity this spring. And support our cause to ensure it remains there for future generations to enjoy.
According to the pre-submission information, a sound stage at Marlow Film Studio will be about 5.5 double-decker buses long and almost 6 giraffes tall. And there will be at least 13 of those. These eyesores will be visible from far & wide, including Winter Hill and the Chilterns AONB. This is simply not suitable for Marlow’s Greenbelt.
Recently announced changes to local film studios show how the landscape is constantly moving and rapidly expanding. Or should it be contracting, given Netflix’s share losses?
In any case, Pinewood announced that its expansion plan, which received the green light from planning only last December will be changed. The “training centre and visitor attraction” is being dropped in favour of… more studio space.
Only last week experienced studio operator Stage Fifty announced plans to make its temporary planning application at the Wycombe Air Park in Booker permanent (for 5 years). This area was marked in the 2019 Local Plan as a strategic employment area (Policy HW15). The studio proposers are claiming that the plans are for a “world-class sustainable” film studio that would “establish High Wycombe as a hub for global film and TV production”. Does that sound familiar?
Both cases show that 1) planning proposals are readily altered or even made (partially) retrospectively and 2) there is likely to be more local studio space available, further smashing the windows of the economic case for a film studio in Marlow’s Greenbelt.
Volunteers from Save Marlow’s Greenbelt talked to the visitors at the Marlow May Fayre to explain all the threats to our local greenbelt. We were pleased to hear so much support for our cause – almost everyone opposed the developments. Thank you to everyone who stopped by to chat. We look forward to continuing to spread the word.
“Dear Marlow Film Studio neighbour in Little Marlow and Marlow,
We are very excited that there will be a filming of an action blockbuster at the Studio! We will be using the backlot (the one you usually walk your dogs in), which means we, unfortunately, have to close it for public access from tomorrow morning at 6 am until further notice. Please be aware that security patrols with dogs may be in operation 24/7.
Filming will also happen at night, with floodlights, so if you hear any shouting through megaphones, gunfire, explosions or sirens between 10 pm and 6 am over the next few weeks, please do not be alarmed. There is no cause for concern – it is all part of the excitement!
We are sorry for any inconvenience caused.
Warm regards from Oxfordshire, the Dido Property Limited (Guernsey) Team”
If you do not want to receive this email, it is not too late. Support Save Marlow’s Greenbelt now.
All proposed facilities in our greenbelt, and especially the Marlow Film Studio project, will put further strain on the nearby Thames Water Little Marlow Sewage Treatment Works (LMSTW).
Data from Event Duration Monitors at LMSTW (installed in 2018) shows a worrying trend of an increasing number of incidents and duration of sewage discharges:
Earlier in 2021, there was an equipment outage and Thames Water used their storm overflow tanks to minimise the sewage discharges, as described in their report to the March 2021 LMSTW Liaison Committee.
Clearly, there is limited to no additional capacity at the site. Working from home is having an effect (from the same report): “Thames Water confirmed the normal diurnal patterns of peak flow in morning and evening had been replaced with 12 hours of higher flow rates.”
In other words: “higher flow” is now the norm, without additional industrial complexes. Will this photo from the Environment Agency in 2013 of the Bourne End Marina become a normal sight on our Thames?
