News

The landscape for the UK Film and High End TV production business is shifting and the demand for studio space is weakening. It seems that Marlow Film Studio isn’t actually needed.

You’ve probably noticed how there are fewer new series available on the streaming platforms these days and that episodes are being eked out over weeks rather than being dropped all at once. What’s more, Netflix has stamped down on password sharing is planning to run adverts.

All this is a sign that the streaming media giants have turned their focus to profitability and that the decade-long growth in spending on High End TV content is coming to an end. This growth accounted for the rapid expansion of the UK production industry so these changes will have a major impact on studio owners whose facilities are used for both feature films and HETV. Particularly as HETV contributed nearly 70% of production spend in 2022.

Consequently, some studios are putting their plans for expansion on ice. The big ones like Pinewood, are so well established that they will survive the downturn. But the prospects for new ones with no client contracts, like Marlow Film Studio, are looking extremely dicey.

A highly critical report commissioned by Bucks Council has already raised serious doubts over the need to build a film studio of this size in Marlow. A recent report by estate agents Knight Frank confirms that there is now enough studio space and no new builds are needed.

This is made clear in the forward to the report by analyst Freddie Owen

The demand profile in the industry is shifting, however. The major streaming platforms have, for the most part and time being at least, satisfied their requirements in terms of studio space.

There aren’t any other platforms that require large scale (500,000+ sq ft) dedicated facilities.

UK Film and Television Studios Market – 2023

This isn’t a temporary issue caused by the strikes in Hollywood – this is a major change in the HETV business model and reinforces our belief that there is simply no economic justification for Marlow Film Studio.

So, why do they want to go ahead if they are so late to the party? Well, they’re property developers, not studios bosses, so maybe they don’t understand how the business is changing.

But if they get planning permission there will be “change of use” on the land which will significantly increase its value by making it easier to obtain approval for alternative developments.

So maybe that’s what they’re up to – cook up a plan for a film studio, get planning permission and then sell on the land for a tidy profit, so it can be used for something else. Who knows what that could be. It certainly won’t be affordable housing because the land isn’t suitable and there is already plenty of empty office space in Globe Park – maybe it will become an Amazon warehouse or a breaker yard …

We want the land to be developed into a Country Park to protect nature and become a place where people can enjoy the countryside – it’s in the greenbelt after all. This was the plan put forward by Wycombe District Council but, after they were integrated into Buckinghamshire Unitary Council, it was cancelled and the land was conveniently removed from the Country Park.

If you don’t think the studio should be built then please click to object.

The Hollywood strikes are starting to hit the UK, showing what a volatile job market the TV and film industry is. According to a survey, 75% of a broadcasting union’s members declared not to be working. The freelancers are out of job because most Hollywood productions in the UK are made with American actors who are refusing to work.

A quote from the head of the union includes:

The number of freelancers questioning their future in the industry should sound alarm bells. For too long we have seen a pattern of engaging crew where they are picked up and dropped again with little notice, protection or reassurances about future employment.

This hardly seems to be a case for inward investment in more studio space in the UK, does it?

Marlow Town Council has finally revealed its position on Marlow Film Studios. Well, kind of …

Cllr Richard Scott claims that his personal letter to Bucks Planning Authority represents Marlow Town Council’s decision to support the film studio. However, the so-called “decision” was made “informally” behind closed doors without a Clerk being present.

So … not actually an MTC decision then, just an agreement between a few chums with no relevance to the final decision that will be taken by Bucks Council.

The film studio is a huge local issue, so why wasn’t it debated at a regular council meeting according to statutory procedures so that members of the public could hear the arguments and express their views? Too democratic for them?

The fact that Marlow Town Council isn’t a statutory consultee is irrelevant – even Cookham Parish Council took a formal vote on the planning application and submitted a well-argued letter of objection signed by their Clerk.

In contrast, Cllr Scott’s rambling letter reads like one of the film studio’s PR releases. There is no scrutiny of the alleged benefits, no consideration of Greenbelt legislation. Cllr Colleen Stapley, as chair of their Environment and Wellbeing Committee, chooses to ignore the harm that the studio will cause to the local environment or the impact that 4,000 extra cars will have on our wellbeing and air quality. They can’t even get the facts straight – there will be 30 trainee places per year, not the 300 that Cllr Scott quotes.

If the council members had looked carefully at the statistics, they would realise that the majority of local people do actually object to the development. Most of the letters of support have been emailed in from outside the area (including one from MFS Director Robert Laycock’s mummy).

These are your elected representatives. Tell them your views and use your next vote wisely. And continue to object.

It is difficult to grasp the true scale of the proposed Marlow Film Studio so we created a demonstration. The balloon is 22 m high – the height of the proposed soundstages. It shows how the buildings would dominate the area and change Marlow’s character from an attractive riverside town to an industrial conurbation.

The area proposed for development spans over 90 acres of green land and Greenbelt affecting all of Marlow and the neighbouring towns of Bourne End, High Wycombe and Little Marlow. When you’re next passing by, picture huge industrial warehouses lining the A4155. No more poplar trees, no more views across to Winter Hill and no more natural green space. If you’ve seen the new Shinfield Studios next to the westbound M4 you’ll know how bad it would be. And you’d have plenty of time to admire the buildings because if it gets the go ahead you’ll be stuck in traffic jams caused by 4,000 staff commuting to and from the studio every day.

Object against these monstrosities now – protect what you value by preserving our Greenbelt.

MP Joy Morrissey is opposing the proposed Marlow Film Studios development due to concerns about increased congestion and pollution in the town. She argues that the site, located on Greenbelt land within Little Marlow Lakes Country Park, holds a significant role in the town’s community appeal and well-being. Neglecting its protection could set a precedent for further inappropriate development, impacting locals and the environment. Morrissey also highlights issues such as heightened traffic levels, particularly at Westhorpe Junction, and worsened air quality in already designated Air Quality Management Areas. She emphasises that protecting such Greenbelt sites is crucial and that the current application falls short of meeting the high bar for development in these areas.

It is not too late – object today.

Birmingham is set to become a significant center for premier television and film production with the establishment of ‘Digbeth Loc. Studios,’ a new high-profile studio complex in the Digbeth area. The studios have already attracted commitments from various acclaimed productions. The complex will be located within walking distance of Birmingham’s train stations, and will conserve the unique characteristics and heritage of Birmingham’s canalside buildings.

In other words, there is apparently a sound business case for a 80,000 sq ft studio, away from the fabled “West London cluster”, which tries to blend in with its surroundings, using existing buildings.

We clearly do not need a new large complex built on Greenbelt to support the British tv and film industry. Don’t believe the shiny PR hype!

The BBC reported that high levels of phosphates, nitrates and harmful bacteria were detected in the Thames, just upstream from Marlow, in Henley in June 2023, by environmental charity River Action. Phosphate and nitrate testing results indicate that the River Thames at Henley is excessively nutrient enriched and in a very poor ecological condition. The levels of E. coli recorded meant that the water in Henley would have posed a significant health risk to all water users, especially swimmers.

This was highlighted online by local naturalist Steve Backshall, when he accompanied River Action on the stretch of the river he uses regularly with his family.

If this is already the case in Henley today, what will the effect of 4,000 more people at the proposed Marlow film studio by for a local creaking Thames Water sewage treatment works and network?

The once picturesque view of rolling meadows and trees has been ruined by the 50ft-high structure.

Residents say the developer ‘lied from day one’ about the size of the building. They also claim to have ‘grave concern’ over the noise, air and light pollution caused by construction.

“There were just enormous bangs at early hours. We’ve been told it’ll be 24 hours a day.” The pensioner, alleging the ‘width of the warehouse has trebled in size’, added that parking is also an issue.

Officials have disregarded the consequences.

Are these soundbites from the future with an approved plan for Marlow Film Studios? Not quite, but it is the reality hitting people in Redditch.

Don’t let it happen to us – object now even if you have already done so.

The reality of a dwindling appetite for large-scale film studios is becoming a reality: Sunset Studios have put the construction of their £600 million film studio on hold. The delay is attributed to a review of the project in “light of cost inflation and rising interest rates”. The complex, originally planned to be a two-year construction project, includes multiple sound stages and workshops. Groundworks have been completed, but the main construction has not yet begun.

Let’s not forget that this complex is smaller than the proposed Marlow Film Studios and that they have a big name locked in. If they can’t make ends meet… This confirms our analysis of likely market saturation back in 2022 and Buckinghamshire Council’s independent study questioning the need for this size studio.

We don’t need such a large film studio complex and certainly not on Greenbelt. Please continue to object, even if you have already done so.

The renewed Transport Assessment submitted by Guernsey-registered Dido Property Limited to Buckinghamshire Planning is flawed and insufficient, according to a study by independent consultants Motion, commissioned by Save Marlow’s Greenbelt.

The assessment focuses on pedestrian, cyclist, and vehicle access, as well as proposed measures to mitigate transport network impacts. Motion confirms that pedestrian routes between the site and Marlow need to cross a substandard road, without any proposed enhancements.

They highlight narrow, poorly lit paths, lacking step-free access, and no controlled crossings, posing risks. Similarly, the cycle access proposals offer no improvements to the existing inadequate infrastructure. Motion states that few functional cycling journeys would occur due to these deficiencies.

Vehicular access, including 4,000 additional cars, raises concerns about congestion, lack of public transport, and inadequate analysis of impact on existing roads. Motion concludes that the current proposals would
result in an unacceptable impact on highway safety and overall that the application site is “unsustainable in transportation terms thereby failing to meet the requirements of paragraphs 105 and 110 (a) of the NPPF”.

This is a traffic disaster waiting to happen. You can still object, even if you have already done so.