It’s been a long time in the making but Pinewood Studios have today announced that the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government will be granting permission for the long-awaited expansion of the famous studio.
It was 2009 when the last set of plans were rejected by South Buckinghamshire District Council but now 5 years later the studio has announced news of a 200 million pound ($340 million) expansion building another 10 stages and creating 3,100 new jobs.
Ivan Dunleavy, Chief Executive of Pinewood Shepperton plc said:
“Our project builds on the success of the Government’s policy for the creative industries and addresses the shortage of stage space in the UK. As a result of today’s green light from the Secretary of State, thousands of much needed new jobs will be created in this growing sector of the economy. We want to begin construction as soon as possible. I’d like to thank colleagues both within and outside the industry, for the tremendous support they have given the project.”
This is fantastic news for the British film industry and puts Pinewood at the centre of filmmaking excellence for years to come. Pinewood is most famous for its work on James Bond and Star Wars (which is currently shooting as I type) along with hundreds of other well known movies on the map!
Here’s the concept art from back in 2009:
Source: Pinewood
