Yimbys unite! How the planning regime is holding back the UK film industry
A council’s moronic decision to block Marlow Film Studios not only hurts our film industry – it holds back our economy, Jess Jones argues
It would not be unrealistic to consider that building a film studio on *checks notes* a stony, unused quarry next to the A404 dual carriageway and near one of the world’s leading film schools, is a rather sensible proposition.
But, following a marathon six hour hearing two years after the proposals were originally submitted, councillors decided that, no, this would be totally “inappropriate” and too much of an eyesore for the good pensioners of Buckinghamshire to bear. Welcome to the UK, where economic growth is all anyone talks about, and where planning dreams go to die.
The prospect of Marlow Film Studios offered job creation, infrastructure improvement and a place for top directors to film their next blockbusters. Since 2015, more high-end TV and movies have been made in the UK than in California. Avatar director James Cameron backed the plans, saying he would base his Lightstorm 3D special effects company there.
Following the rejection, Robert Laycock, chief executive of Marlow Film Studios, voiced his disappointment and vowed to keep fighting. “I am determined to create life changes for our young people and send hundreds of millions [of pounds] into Buckinghamshire’s businesses,” he said, adding that 67p of every £1 spent on film productions flows back into the local economy.
It begs the question why a very thorough planning application for a 169,000 square-metre studio designed by the man behind the Olympic Park, faced over 5,500 documents worth of scrutiny.
Bucks Council refused the proposal, citing “spatial and visual harm to the openness of the Green Belt.” Green Belt maybe, but a former WWII prison turned quarry turned infill plot next to a congested A-road is not exactly New Jerusalem. Even the ‘Save Marlow’s Greenbelt‘ site admits “the site may not look like much.”
The same Bucks Council decided against a data centre next to the M25 because it would block views of the grass for people driving.
Critics also pointed out that the A-road system nearby is horrendous for traffic. The film studios had proposed a solution to help this, including funding for the heavily congested Westhorpe roundabout. Perhaps the NIMBYs of Marlow should instead ask why their council has not done anything to sort that out in the first place.
Detractors also said the site would harm local wildlife and the environment. But this largely barren grassland is hardly some sort of oasis. It isn’t even suitable for agriculture as the ground is poor quality, with only a light covering of topsoil over a domestic waste tip.
The proposal, however, pledged to turn over a quarter of the overall site into “space dedicated to wildlife, nature, and recreation” – something some have said the council has never attempted to do.
Marlow Film Studio is understood to be considering its next steps, which may include appealing the council’s decision.
It comes as investment in national infrastructure is being stifled by the UK’s cumbersome planning regime. Planning applications are now five times more expensive than in 1990. The UK’s film and TV industry, valued at over £17.4bn and employing more than 290,000 people, needs a serious boost, not more red tape and red lights.
The decision hurts even more as the UK film industry fights for every penny it can get. The global film and TV industry has struggled as it faces economic challenges such as higher borrowing costs and since streaming services overspent during the pandemic. Many major studios have been cutting content budgets such as Disney, slashing it by $3bn (£2.4bn).
According to the British Film Institute, the combined UK film and high-end television production spend for 2023 fell 32 per cent year on year to £4.23bn, due to the US writers’ and actors’ strikes.
But with the Hollywood strikes now over, and film production picking up again, we should be encouraging directors to look to the UK to film new movies here. Surely many other countries would have jumped at the chance to have Cameron and other film industry titans backing a new studio. Vue, Europe’s largest independent cinema operator, set up a UK distribution arm last month to start rolling out its own movies, something that could help replenish the pipeline of productions.
Despite the setbacks, projects like Warner Bros’ expansion in Leavesden and the development of new studios such as Crown Works Sunderland show there is still hope. The government has granted 40 per cent relief on business rates for film studios until 2034, worth £470m over ten years. The UK is still competitive due to its solid skills base and tax regime, which includes new tax reliefs for visual effects and independent films.
Labour has announced it would allow ministers to bypass the traditional planning process if it gets elected, especially to build more prisons. Instead of returning the site to its former purpose, Starmer should overrule the council decision and help get Marlow Film Studios built to show everyone he really means business on growth.
The UK film industry desperately needs investment – and this new studio would have been a huge boon for the sector. But for now, we’re stuck with a planning system that is more about preserving the past than building the future.