New formal submissions by Marlow Film Studios to Buckinghamshire Council continue to set out key commitments to the community.
The state-of-the-art filmmaking facility on a former gravel extraction and waste disposal site alongside the A404 is planned to provide a range of transport infrastructure, training, public amenities, and the delivery of outstanding workspace for the next generation of filmmaking talent as part of a package of comprehensive community benefits.
“From Barbie to Indiana Jones, via Mission Impossible, Ant Man to The Little Mermaid, British movies continue to deliver big box office hits in 2023. Six of the top thirteen performing films globally this year are British made, boosting local creative skills, and bringing highly productive and rewarding careers to the economy,” says Marlow Film Studios CEO Robert Laycock.
“Two thirds of the outstanding crews who are the sector’s key workers live within a reasonable distance of Marlow Film Studios. This British project has been located and designed for this once in a multi-generational chance to keep a stellar local economic sector thriving, all while being based on good principles of sustainable development.
“Our masterplan delivers over 4,000 new jobs and brings £380 million annually to the local economy, and adds 75 acres exclusively for recreation, enhanced habitats and training of a very special quality. This is a unique opportunity of global significance for the community and local culture,” said Robert.
The team behind the Studios has been working closely with Buckinghamshire Council and National Highways to meet the requirements of the local authority and the submissions provide further information setting out the positive impact the Studios will have on transport, the community, and the environment.
Delivering more sustainable travel, the site’s Travel Plan, caps single occupant car travel to 60% of all journeys and actively promotes and encourages a shift to public transport, car-sharing, cycling, and walking.
Highlights to enable this include two completely new and fully funded bus routes for public use, plus new and enhanced pedestrian footpaths and cycleways.
A Marlow to Elizabeth Line service in 20 minutes is to be provided via the High Wycombe to Maidenhead bus route. A second hopper service will connect around Marlow, Globe Park and on to community stops including Bourne End station.
At the A404 Westhorpe junction, smart signals and the addition of a third lane at two key points will increase the capability of the network, fixing pre-existing issues with the 50-year-old junction and provide additional capacity to accommodate studio operations and future growth.
A safety-enhanced signalised pedestrian and cycle crossing, a new cycle route between Volvo Bridge and Marlow Road and a new off-highway cycling route from Little Marlow towards Bourne End are also part of the plans.
An ecological report outlines the commitment to deliver new wildlife habitats in an area mapped for nature recovery adjoining Spade Oak Nature Reserve.
The full planning application for Marlow Film Studios, planned for with a total investment of £750 million, has received over 3200 letters of support and has recently been endorsed by Marlow Town Council in an overwhelming majority vote.
