Buckinghamshire Council has given the go-ahead for a 1.4m sq ft expansion to Pinewood Studios.
It will include 21 purpose-built sound stages, a backlot filming space, education and training hub and a publicly accessible nature reserve.
According to Pinewood, the expansion will deliver substantial economic and social benefits for the county and region – creating over 8,000 new jobs and injecting £640 million a year into the UK economy.
Once the development is complete, Pinewood Studios will be the biggest studio complex in the world, with a total of 51 purpose-built stages.
Speaking about the council’s approval, Pinewood Group corporate affairs director, Andrew M Smith OBE DL, said, “We’re delighted Buckinghamshire Council has approved our plans for the expansion of Pinewood Studios and new nature reserve at Alderbourne Farm. This development will provide invaluable resources to the British film and TV sector, consolidate Pinewood’s status as the UK’s leading production site, deliver significant benefits to our local community and encourage new talent to join the industry.”
Pinewood first submitted plans to build the education hub in 2021, revising it to include more sound stages following feedback from its customers last summer.
Last year, global real estate company Knight Frank warned the UK needed to double its production space by 2026 in order to keep up with demand.
