Massive Berkshire film studio plan rejected

Plans to build ‘the third largest film studio in the country’ in between Windsor and Maidenhead have been rejected by the government.

Investment company Greystoke Land had appealed to the government to allow the film studio to be built in Holyport after councillors at the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead refused to grant planning permission.

But minister for housing and planning Matthew Pennycook MP rejected the appeal on Friday, May 6 – citing its ‘potential harm to the green belt’.

Greystoke Land applied for permission to build the huge studio complex on both sides of Gays Lane in 2022.

The plans included sound stages, workshops, offices, footpaths, a multi-storey car park, a ‘backlot’ filming area, a new roundabout, and a ‘media village’ for post-production.

But councillors voted to refused to grant the studios planning permission in March 2024.

The councillors agreed with their planning officers who said the development would be inappropriate on the green belt.

Planning officers argued that there were no ‘very special circumstances’ to allow the development, saying that the film studios were ‘simply not needed’.

In its appeal, Graystoke Land argued that the council had ‘exaggerated’ the harm to the green belt and ‘ignored’ its economic benefits.

It said there were ‘very special circumstances’ that would justify building the studios on the green belt.

Property consultant Montagu Evans argued: “This is no ordinary development proposal and nor is it one that meets a generic need that could be met anywhere.”

It said there was a ‘rapidly growing need for studio floorspace’ and a ‘pressing need for the proposed development’.

But the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead argued that Greystoke had ‘overstated’ the economic case for the studios.

Council officers argued that the development of other studios in Berkshire and the south east meant there was less of a case for building another one in Holyport.

The appeal was heard by a planning inspector last November – but government housing ministers said they would make the final decision.

The inspector recommended that ministers dismiss the appeal.

In its decision the government said it supports ‘the growth of the creative industries in the UK’.

But it said that ‘there is likely to be sufficient capacity within existing studio space’ for the industry ‘for the immediate future’.

The government also agreed that Greystoke Land had not searched widely enough for ‘reasonably alternative sites’.

The government said: “The secretary of state is not persuaded that a clear and convincing need case has been demonstrated.”

It said the harm to the green belt ‘is not clearly outweighed by other considerations and therefore there are no very special circumstances which would justify this development’.

Hear all the latest news from across the UK on the hour, every hour, on Greatest Hits Radio on DAB, smartspeaker, at greatesthitsradio.co.uk, and on the Rayo app.