'Hollywood' studio in Reading to get planning go ahead
Planning officers at Wokingham Borough Council recommend approval for film studio
Plans to build a film studio near Reading that could be used to make star-studded Hollywood blockbusters are set for approval.
Shinfield Studios wants planning permission to set up a TV and film studio – with four sound stages and four workshops – in Thames Valley Science Park for five years.
Shinfield Studios was launched in 2020, after Los Angeles based film studio investor Commonwealth Real Estate LP agreed a deal with University of Reading, to build studios and a creative media campus at the science park.
In a statement, the university said: “The studios will bring major Hollywood film productions to the UK, creating around 1,500 new jobs, and supporting up to 1,500 further indirect jobs.”
Last month, the university applied for planning permission to build a permanent TV studio – with enough seats for an audience of 550 people – at the science park in Shinfield.
It is aiming to open that studio in early 2022 and is already in talks with a prospective tenant.
Wokingham Borough Council’s Planning Committee is expected to approve plans for the temporary TV and film studio when it meets on March 24.
That’s because the plans have been recommended for approval by council planning officers.
The plans state: “With new pressures facing both the Higher Education sector and the Film and TV industries, the economic importance of Thames Valley Science Park has never been more apparent than in the current situation.
“Shinfield Studios, in collaboration with The University of Reading, is aware that new developments on the site must move quickly to capitalise on the need for large quantities of UK studio space.
“In advance of a wider planning application for a permanent film studios, Shinfield Studios seek to bring forward some temporary space to help meet current demand from film production companies.”
The council says it has received 27 letters of support, including one from the British Film Institute, and 10 people have lodged objections, raising concerns about the impact on the countryside and extra traffic in the area.