Ministers approve £750m Marlow Film Studios development after review
Ministers have approved a development to build a £750m Hollywood-style film and TV studios in Marlow, west of London, a project that has faced local opposition and been seen as a test of Labour’s appetite to prioritise economic growth.The Marlow Film Studios project has received high-profile backing from film-makers including the director of 1917, Sam Mendes, the director of Titanic and Avatar, James Cameron, and the Captain Phillips director, Paul Greengrass.Last year, Buckinghamshire county council rejected the planning application, prompting its backers to lodge an appeal to the national planning body to get the decision overturned.However, Angela Rayner, the former secretary of state for housing, communities and local government, called in the planning application.The outcome of the review had been seen as a benchmark for Labour’s desire to put economic growth ahead of local opposition, as stated repeatedly by the chancellor, Rachel Reeves.
On Wednesday – hours before Reeves presented her budget in Westminster – Matthew Pennycook, the housing and planning minister, said the secretary of state, Steve Reed, had agreed to grant planning permission.The proposed new creative campus, which will create 4,000 jobs, includes 18 sound stages as well as a culture and skills academy.“The secretary of state’s determination is a real vote of confidence in the UK and in its creative industries,” said Robert Laycock, the chief executive of Marlow Film Studios.“Regenerating a poorly landfilled site to enable new careers and pass on exceptional skills in this world-beating British industry is the right decision.It’s a signal to investors who aim for high-quality development, done in the right way.
”Victoria Du Croz, the head of planning at the law firm Forsters, said while the government noted that the project would potentially harm green-belt land, its focus was driving growth.“Steve Reed’s decision notes that the development of the film studio would cause potential harm to the green belt through inappropriateness and openness,” she said.“The 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.The government’s growth agenda is its core focus and with millions of square feet of studio space playing host to some of the top films of the current day, the wider economic benefit is hard to turn down.”A local campaign group opposed to the studio complex, Save Marlow’s Greenbelt (SMG), has said the site was not derelict and supported a valuable ecosystem, while its openness helped to protect the character of the Buckingham town and surrounding villages.
The group said it was disappointed with the decision but would not be seeking to challenge the decision through a high court action,Sign up to Business TodayGet set for the working day – we'll point you to all the business news and analysis you need every morningafter newsletter promotion“We believe the development will cause significant and lasting harm to the environment, the local community, and the landscape,” said Sam Kershaw, the leader of SMG and a parish councillor,“Throughout this process, our detailed analysis of the film industry and the developer’s claims exposed numerous material weaknesses and errors in their case, which, in our view, should have resulted in refusal,This marks the end of a long campaign,We will continue to defend Marlow’s green belt against inappropriate development.
”In September, the government also stepped in to approve plans to almost double the size of Sky’s studios in Elstree, Hertfordshire, rejected by Hertsmere borough council over green belt concerns, after the land was reclassified as “grey belt”.In June, the government blocked plans to build one of the UK’s biggest film and TV studios in Holyport, Berkshire, citing “potential harm to the green belt”.In April, the government agreed a deal with the US company Comcast, the owner of Universal Studios, to build its first theme park in Europe in Bedford.The attraction is being built on a 192-hectare (476-acre) site at the former Kempston Hardwick brickworks, and is due to open in 2031.The government also overruled planning inspectors earlier this year and approved an almost doubling of capacity at Luton airport, which is expected to be one of the main air hubs used by visitors to the theme park.
From Wicked: For Good to Stranger Things: your complete entertainment guide to the week ahead
Ariana Grande sparkles in the concluding part of the Wicked Witch tale, and the first batch of final episodes of the retro sci-fi juggernaut are unleashedWicked: For GoodOut nowWas the decision to split this Broadway musical big-screen adaptation into two parts motivated by art or money? Part two is here, so you can judge for yourself. The Wizard of Oz-inspired story picks up with defiant “Wicked Witch” Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) living in exile, while Glinda (Ariana Grande) relishes her own popularity.The Thing With FeathersOut nowMax Porter’s novel Grief Is the Thing With Feathers gets the big-screen treatment, with Benedict Cumberbatch in the lead role as the dad who must raise his two young children alone after his wife dies unexpectedly. With David Thewlis as the voice of the crow who appears to him.The Ice TowerOut nowMarion Cotillard stars as a star: an actor called Cristina, who is playing the beautiful Snow Queen in a 1960s adaptation of the Hans Christian Andersen classic that also inspired Frozen
Kristen Bell and Brian Cox among actors shocked they’re attached to Fox News podcast
The Fox News announcement of a new podcast series on Jesus Christ has turned into a bizarre holiday tale in Hollywood, as several actors attached to massive, 52-episode project claim their recordings date back 15 years and are being released without their prior knowledge.The new audiobook titled The Life of Jesus Christ Podcast, announced on Wednesday as part of a splashy rollout for the network’s new Christian vertical called Fox Faith, purports to guide listeners “through the life, teachings, and miracles of Jesus Christ”, with each episode introduced by Fox & Friends co-host Ainsley Earhardt.The announcement boasted that more than 100 actors had signed on to participate in the project, with a voice cast including Kristen Bell as Mary Magdalene, Sean Astin as Matthew, Neal McDonough as Jesus, Brian Cox as the Voice of God, Malcolm McDowell as Caiaphas, John Rhys-Davies as the narrator and Julia Ormond as Mary.But reps for Bell claim that the actor was blindsided by the announcement, as she had recorded the audio 15 years ago. She only learned that Fox planned to release a podcast with her name attached the day before the announcement, when her team received an invitation to appear on Fox & Friends the following day, her reps told Rolling Stone
The Guide #218: For gen Zers like me, YouTube isn’t an app or a website – it’s the backdrop to our waking lives
Barely a month goes by without more news of streaming sites overtaking traditional, terrestrial TV. Predominant among those sits YouTube, with more than 2.5 billion monthly viewers. For people my age – a sprightly 28 – and younger, YouTube is less of an app or website than our answer to radio: the ever-present background hum of modern life. While my mum might leave Radio 4 wittering or BBC News flickering in the corner as she potters about the house, I’ve got a video essay about Japan’s unique approach to urban planning playing on my phone
Stephen Colbert on Trump v Epstein files: ‘Fighting tooth and cankle’
Late-night hosts reacted to Donald Trump signing a bill to release the Epstein files while still trying to distract from them.Stephen Colbert celebrated the impending release of all files related to the late pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. “After months of Trump fighting tooth and cankle to hold back the Republican party from doing the right thing, he just went ahead and gave up and signed the bill to release the Epstein files,” the Late Show host explained a day after Congress voted near unanimously to compel the justice department to make the files public within 30 days.“Even though Trump told Republicans to all vote for this, he was clearly furious that they did,” Colbert continued. Trump signed the bill after the White House issued a so-called photo lid, which shut down any on-camera opportunities
After 10 years talking to knights, squires and wizards, I understand why ren fairs are booming
“I dunno what to tell ya, mate,” a young knight once told me through his helm’s lifted visor. “Gettin’ shield bashed just feels good.”For the knaves among thee, a “shield bash” is what it sounds like: to bash, or be bashed, with a shield. It’s simple and to the point, like a mace to the face or an arrow to the knee. Witnessing a shield bash, you understand the “haha yesss” that the basher must feel upon bashing, just as you empathetically presume a long “oh noooooo” on behalf of the bashee
My cultural awakening: I moved across the world after watching a Billy Connolly documentary
I was 23 and thought I had found my path in life. I’d always wanted to work with animals, and I had just landed a job as a vet nurse in Melbourne. I was still learning the ropes, but I imagined I would stay there for years, building a life around the work. Then, five months in, the vet called me into his office and told me it wasn’t working out. “It’s not you,” he said, “I just really hate training people
‘Where’s Nige?’ Reform leader skips Commons statement on Ukraine, leaving Tice to face pile-on | John Crace
‘I didn’t start it’: Starmer apologises for ‘six seven’ uproar during school visit
How Lord Dannatt used his peerage to open doors for business interests
Reform’s ‘Trumpian’ legal threats hint at more aggressive approach to media
Nigel Farage’s shifting answers on school-days racism claims – a timeline
Nigel Farage responds to racism claims saying he never ‘tried to hurt anybody’