Stage Fifty Seeks Planning Permission To Build Wycombe Film Studios

Plans have been drawn up, and a planning permission application has been submitted to the relevant council, for an eight-stage film and TV studio in Buckinghamshire, a county in the United Kingdom, from Stage Fifty.

The application involves several features to make the studio attractive for local inhabitants including green walls, photovoltaic solar panels, grass, and trees, as well as cladding to mix in with the environment and fully recyclable stages.

The planned 26-acre site would bring an estimated 1,200 jobs and a £305 million ($344 million) economic boost to the area. Over the past two years, Stage Fifty has brought studios to two U.K. sites in Winnersh and Farnborough.

James Enright, CEO of Stage Fifty, said: “We want to build a sustainable studio that the people of Wycombe are proud of, one that will create exciting new jobs for the community and generate around £305m GVA.”

“As soon as we have a decision from the council, everything can happen in a short timeframe as the design of our innovative sound stages means we can build quickly. Once the studio is fully operational, it will support around 750 full-time jobs and 450 indirect jobs in the supply chain.”

“And we’ll develop the skills of young local people by offering traineeships and industry placements at Wycombe Film Studios through Stage Fifty’s Academy of Creative and Technical Arts (ACTA).”

“Our goal is to build a studio that is not only sustainable in its construction but a place where people are excited to work in the heart of Buckinghamshire. Ultimately, we want Wycombe Film Studios to set the benchmark, attracting filmmakers from all over the world.”

There has been a production boom in the U.K. over recent years with numerous productions filming in the country with increased interest over the past six months due to the dramatic weakening of the British Pound.

Serial local property investor, author, and property investment educator, Samuel Leeds commented on the plans stating how the continued growth of the industry in the U.K. was going to be deeply important to sustaining the growth of local communities and businesses.

“I think that’s the most exciting element for us here, if we can attract strong and diverse productions it gives so much credence for the development of other industries,” Leeds said. “People are more incentivized to open up businesses, individuals will invest in real estate around studios, and there will be other vertices where local inhabitants will feel supported because of the growth in the media sector.”

Leeds’ portfolio includes everything from a 20-bedroom castle to a former art gallery that is being converted into 48 apartments. The potential impact on the property industry alone stood out as a point of interest.

Leeds continued, “Rental demand will go up also. Wherever there are studios that are popping up the surrounding vicinity will see a rise in both property worth and rental interest. Studios can generally help revitalize whole communities and cities, plus it provides infrastructure for the entertainment industry itself to grow and for young people to get more jobs in that area. It’s a scenario with a lot of winners.”

Running a sizable property investment school also, Leeds concluded by saying that contrary to popular belief, investing in property in the U.K. is a good idea right now. “There’s deals and opportunities to be taken advantage of. Whether that be something commercial like a studio or residential property, it’s a good time to find deals.”

With a resume in managing film and TV studios, Jeremy Pelzer, the British Film Commission’s (BFC) senior stage space strategy advisor, commented to Screen just how needed and key increasing studio space is. “Prior to the start of the SSSD (Stage Space Support and Development strategy), the BFC conducted consultation work with the major US studios and asked them if space and crew were no issue, how much content they would wish to produce in the UK. Pretty much unanimously, the answer was that they would double it, and we’re on a very healthy trajectory to meet the ambition of doubling the UK’s stage space by 2025.”

Stage Fifty’s potential studio will represent a further unprecedented amount of growth in the U.K. studio economy as several have materialized over the last two years. A decision on the planning permission for the Wycombe project will be made by the council in January 2023.