Pinewood, the legendary studios and the home of iconic films including the James Bond franchise and Les Misérables, is currently in the process of submitting fresh plans to double its production capacity by developing a site set on 100 acres of greenbelt land in Buckinghamshire which is said to be worth in excess of € 200 Million. The process has been dogged by obstacles for over five years now with primary opposition from the communities minister, Eric Pickles. As a result the studios, will submit a radically revised plan for a new project to South Buckinghamshire district council on Friday.
Already there is a huge amount of opposition to a proposed HS2 high-speed train route in Buckinghamshire, the proposed route would pass to the north of the Pinewood studios site and cut a sizeable chunk of green belt land in the Chilterns.
Pinewood Studios, which is chaired by former ITV executive chairman Lord Grade, claims that the expansion is needed to allow the UK to to compete on a level playing field with Hollywood studios for larger budget movie productions.
Danny Boyle, the artistic director behind the internationally acclaimed London 2012 Olympic opening ceremony, said the success of Pinewood over its 77-year history has made it a crucial part of British culture. The director who had breakthrough hit "Trainspotting" as well as Oscar winning "Slumdog Millionaire"said: "Many of the great British films which were showcased at the Olympic opening ceremony such as Oliver Twist, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Skyfall were produced at Pinewood," he went on to say: "If we are, as a country, to capitalise on our film heritage then we need state-of-the-art facilities like Pinewood is proposing."
A key modification to the original Pinewood expansion blueprint is the scrapping of an ambitious plan which would have included building up to 1,400 new homes, about 420 of them affordable housing, which formed part of 16 "streetscapes" that would have been used in outdoor film sets.
"The UK needs more first class studio space to encourage the growth of the film and TV sector," said Eric Fellner, producer of films including Les Misérables.
Pinewood, which owns the land for the proposed development it is claimed thaitched 15-year plan will create over 3,000 new jobs and will generate almost £100m a year for the exchequer.
Other leading figures in the industry have also had their say, take Ridley Scott in his summation of the PineWood proposals:
"The expansion at Pinewood is long overdue," said Ridley Scott, director of films including Alien, Blade Runner and Gladiator. "The UK has to keep investing in new technology, skills and infrastructure to keep pace with international competition."
Via The Guardian
Already there is a huge amount of opposition to a proposed HS2 high-speed train route in Buckinghamshire, the proposed route would pass to the north of the Pinewood studios site and cut a sizeable chunk of green belt land in the Chilterns.
Pinewood Studios, which is chaired by former ITV executive chairman Lord Grade, claims that the expansion is needed to allow the UK to to compete on a level playing field with Hollywood studios for larger budget movie productions.
Danny Boyle, the artistic director behind the internationally acclaimed London 2012 Olympic opening ceremony, said the success of Pinewood over its 77-year history has made it a crucial part of British culture. The director who had breakthrough hit "Trainspotting" as well as Oscar winning "Slumdog Millionaire"said: "Many of the great British films which were showcased at the Olympic opening ceremony such as Oliver Twist, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Skyfall were produced at Pinewood," he went on to say: "If we are, as a country, to capitalise on our film heritage then we need state-of-the-art facilities like Pinewood is proposing."
A key modification to the original Pinewood expansion blueprint is the scrapping of an ambitious plan which would have included building up to 1,400 new homes, about 420 of them affordable housing, which formed part of 16 "streetscapes" that would have been used in outdoor film sets.
"The UK needs more first class studio space to encourage the growth of the film and TV sector," said Eric Fellner, producer of films including Les Misérables.
Pinewood, which owns the land for the proposed development it is claimed thaitched 15-year plan will create over 3,000 new jobs and will generate almost £100m a year for the exchequer.
Other leading figures in the industry have also had their say, take Ridley Scott in his summation of the PineWood proposals:
"The expansion at Pinewood is long overdue," said Ridley Scott, director of films including Alien, Blade Runner and Gladiator. "The UK has to keep investing in new technology, skills and infrastructure to keep pace with international competition."
Via The Guardian
