Film studios near Reading to seek permanent planning permission
Shinfield Studios say they want to build 14 more studios
The company that has planning permission to build a temporary film studio near Reading that can be used for Hollywood blockbusters wants it to remain there permanently.
Shinfield Studios is aiming to open a four-stage film studio at Thames Valley Science Park in September so a US production company can shoot the next instalment of “a very well-known movie franchise series” that cannot be named yet.
Last year, the company told Shinfield Studios it would commit to filming at the science park if the new studio was open by September.
Construction is now underway after Wokingham Borough Council gave the company planning permission to set up a film studio on the site for five years.
There is a condition that states it will be removed and the land will be “restored to its former condition” in 2026, so the company will need to submit another planning application to get permission for it to remain in place permanently.
Nick Smith, managing director of Shinfield Studios, said: “We’ve got this temporary permission of the four (stages) that we’re building at the moment.
“We want convert that into a permanent planning position, so those four will never move. They will stay there hopefully, in perpetuity.
“On top of that, we want to build another 14 (studios) on the science park.”
Shinfield Studios has a long-term vision to create a “Cine Valley” on 65 acres of land at the science park, to provide 18 sound stages, workshops and office space.
Mr Smith said it will be “the second biggest studio in the UK” and provide much-needed studio space to meet growing demand from companies like Disney, Netflix, and Amazon.
The company believes Shinfield is an ideal location for a film and television production complex because there is plenty of space for new studios and easy access to London and Heathrow Airport.
Mr Smith said London is the “epicentre for the industry and particularly for post-production” and film companies want to “access the facilities that exist already”.
Shinfield Studios was launched in 2020, after Los Angeles based film studio investor Commonwealth Real Estate LP agreed a deal with the University of Reading to build studios and a creative media campus at the science park.
Earlier this year, 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 hopes to open that studio in 2022.