Planned studio, Marlow Film Studios, has made new formal submissions to Buckinghamshire Council setting out key commitments on transport infrastructure and the environment.
The filmmaking facility on a former gravel extraction and waste disposal site alongside the A404 is planned to “provide a range of transport infrastructure, training, public amenities”, and the delivery of “outstanding workspace for the next generation of filmmaking talent.”
“From Barbie to Indiana Jones, via Mission Impossible, Ant Man to The Little Mermaid, British movies continue to deliver big box office hits in 2023. Six of the top thirteen performing films globally this year are British made, boosting local creative skills, and bringing highly productive and rewarding careers to the economy,” says Marlow Film Studios CEO Robert Laycock.
“Two thirds of the outstanding crews who are the sector’s key workers live within a reasonable distance of Marlow Film Studios. This British project has been located and designed for this once in a multi-generational chance to keep a stellar local economic sector thriving, all while being based on good principles of sustainable development.
“Our masterplan delivers over 4,000 new jobs and brings £380 million annually to the local economy, and adds 75 acres exclusively for recreation, enhanced habitats and training of a very special quality. This is a unique opportunity of global significance for the community and local culture.”
The site’s Travel Plan caps single occupant car travel to 60% of all journeys and promotes a shift to public transport, car-sharing, cycling, and walking. Plans include two new and fully funded bus routes for public use, plus new and enhanced pedestrian footpaths and cycleways.
A Marlow to Elizabeth Line service in 20 minutes is to be provided via the High Wycombe to Maidenhead bus route. A second hopper service will connect around Marlow, Globe Park and on to community stops including Bourne End station.
At the A404 Westhorpe junction, smart signals and the addition of a third lane at two key points “will increase the capability of the network” and “provide additional capacity to accommodate studio operations and future growth.”
The planned studio build has also led to objections from many locals including local Conservative MP, Joy Morrisey, who said last month that “Adding a film studio will worsen the already high traffic levels in the area and make Westhorpe Junction more dangerous as a consequence. It will also impact air quality, with parts of Marlow already designated Air Quality Management Areas.”
Jon Creamer
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