A rendering of what Marlow Studios will resemble when built. Marlow Studios Share on Facebook Share on X Google Preferred Share to Flipboard Show additional share options Share on LinkedIn Share on Pinterest Share on Reddit Share on Tumblr Share on Whats App Send an Email Print the Article Post a Comment A £750 million ($986m) film studio in Buckinghamshire, England, has been given the go-ahead by the British government. Marlow Studios was initially denied planning permission over conservation and sustainability fears, but an appeal to the U.K.'s Housing, Communities and Local Government department was successful and the campus - dubbed by Marlow CEO Robert Laycock as "a bespoke facility, leading in emerging technology and design that drives creativity and storytelling" - has received the green light. The lot is set to boast 18 sound stages and a skills academy among extensive production facilities, rivaling the millions of pounds spent annually on the likes of Elstree, Pinewood and Leavesden and a key show of support for the country's creative industries. Related Stories Movies Box Office: 'Kokuho' Becomes Japan's Top-Grossing Live-Action Film Ever Movies 'The Good Daughter,' the Family Drama That Won Big at Tallinn, Shows "Violence Can Be Everywhere" Director Sam Mendes and Neal Street's Pippa Harris are among the studio's backers as well as acclaimed filmmaker James Cameron who, according to the Financial Times in 2024, is eyeing Marlow as a potential U.K. and European base and training center for Lightstorm3D, a company he's set up to develop tools and tech for film. The news comes as Britain's top finance minister unveiled her autumn budget on Wednesday, an annual event in which the government's chancellor - in this case, the Labour Party's Rachel Reeves - outlines the key changes for the next financial year across tax, welfare, housing and public services. The budget doubled down on government plans that eligible film studios in England will receive a 40 percent reduction on their gross business rates bills until 2034. Laycock said the Marlow team are "very pleased" with the outcome. "The determination is a real vote of confidence in the U.K. and in its creative industries," he commented. "This is a meaningful decision for anyone who believes in the U.K.'s future, our nation's creative genius, and our unmatched capability to inspire the world. "We know that Marlow Studios will be a media campus like no other," he added, "offering the world's creative businesses a bespoke facility, leading in emerging technology and design that drives creativity and storytelling... The global creative sector is growing fast, with a pace of change that is driving new investment. New platforms, new technology, including AI and new ways of telling stories require a different approach. Marlow Studios will be the campus that drives creative collaboration for the coming era." Victoria Du Croz, head of planning and a partner at Forsters law firm, said the government's decision "gave greater weight to the wider benefits to justify this development in the Green Belt, including its alignment with the growth agenda given it would attract global investment." "Interestingly," said Du Croz, "the decision found that there would be no severe impact on the highway network in direct contrast to the local council's decision. The areas around the [major highway] M25 is a hotbed of film studios and it is perhaps telling of the strength of the U.K.'s creative industries that when the devastating LA fires hit in January there wasn't a single film in production in LA's studios, but the U.K. studios were already busy." While the decision by the local council highlighted the negative local impact the film studio would have on infrastructure and highways, she continued, "the government's growth agenda is its core focus and with millions of sq. ft. of studio space playing host to some of the top films of the current day, the wider economic benefit is hard to turn down." With major studio presence in the U.K. already, "it does beg the question how the development will be funded and whether it will be built out speculatively." 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