James Cameron-Backed $1-Billion UK Film Studio Gets Green Light
The result is a boost for the British film industry and for the UK's wider growth agenda, which has often been constrained by the country’s planning system.
A £750 million ($985 million) film studio backed by Avatar director James Cameron has been greenlit by the UK government, which overruled an initial decision against the studio by the local council.
Marlow Studios was denied planning permission by Buckinghamshire Council in 2024 over concerns regarding the impact on the natural landscape and local residents. However, a review by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said that the studio’s economic benefits outweighed these potential harms.
As many as 4,000 jobs are expected to be created by the project, which includes sound stages and workshops across more than 160,000 square meters (40 acres) in a former landfill site. Cameron had said the studio could potentially provide a European base for his company Lightstorm3D, according to a letter submitted to the council last year.
The result is a boost for the British film industry and for the UK’s wider growth agenda, which has often been constrained by the country’s planning system. Because local councils typically oversee everything from small residential extensions to major infrastructure projects, a handful of vocal residents or interest groups can effectively block developments – even when those projects support national priorities.
The decision also signals that the national government is willing to override local planning objections when it deems the project to be of national importance.
“It’s a major vote of confidence in the UK and its creative industries,” Robert Laycock, chief executive officer of Marlow Studios, said in an email.
Save Marlow’s Greenbelt, a local community group that opposed the project, said it was disappointed by the decision. “The inquiry report itself acknowledges the uncertainty surrounding both the need for the studio and its projected economic contribution,” it said in an emailed statement.
