Skip to content

Pinewood Studios submits £1bn expansion plans

Alex Pope
BBC News, Buckinghamshire
Pinewood Group An artists impression of what an expansion of Pinewood Studios' could look like. Including new building, greenery, bushes, people sitting down and people walking. Pinewood Group
Pinewood Studios said it plans included a nature reserve, community garden and learning space

Plans for a £1bn expansion of a world-renowned film studio have been submitted to a council.

Pinewood Studios, near Iver Heath in Buckinghamshire, which is known for the filming of the James Bond and Star Wars franchises, said it wanted to build a "state-of-the-art data centre" with a training hub and nature reserve.

The plans, submitted to Buckinghamshire Council, had been adapted from an original scheme, approved in 2023, which included 21 new stages.

The new plans included stages, but the company has not stipulated how many there could be.

Pinewood Group An artists impression of what a garden will look like at Pinewood Studios, including plants, trees, grass, a building and people sitting down on benches. Pinewood Group
Pinewood released an image of what the community gardens could look like

Construction will include a 55,030 square metre state-of-the-art data centre, a 60-acre nature reserve, a six-acre community garden and learning space, Pinewood Group said.

David Conway, its chief executive, said: "Our proposed plan for a data centre on the land to the South of Pinewood Studios is in alignment with the critical infrastructure needs identified by the government.

"The significant investment will bring jobs and additional benefits to the local community with the delivery of a nature reserve, community gardens and learning space."

Pinewood Studios An aerial view of Pinewood Studios showing a number of film sets, car parks, roofs, buildings and foliage. Pinewood Studios
An aerial view of Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire

Pinewood Studios opened in 1936 and has played host to the filming of dozens of major movie projects.

The company previously said it had changed its plans due to "a reduction in global film and high-end television production, which has triggered a review of our existing planning consent".

It said the expansion and investment would create more film stages and production facilities, alongside the development of a data centre.

Follow Beds, Herts and Bucks news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.

You might also be interested in
Related internet links