Plans for 1.75m ft2 film and TV studio in UK’s Bedfordshire approved

The UK’s central Bedfordshire Council has approved plans for a 1.75m ft2 film and TV studio following “extensive public consultation”.

Originally announced in April 2022, and with planning submitted in October of the same year, the Home Of Production has been designed by architecture firm Scott Brownrigg and aims to turn a 143 acre brownfield site into a film and TV studio.

The land has already been purchased, and financing is already in place for the plan, with original hopes that construction could begin in early 2023 or even be completed in 2024. However, the planning process appears to have taken longer than hoped, so completion may also be later. 

Home Of Production hopes to change the experience for crew, allowing them to stay onsite in self-contained suites and take advantage of permanent bars, restaurants and cafes, a gym, and a hospitality suite. There will also be a medical centre, childcare facilities and faith rooms.

The plans also include the addition of ecological corridors, new wetland and floating reed beds across the site, and the creation of approximately 70 hectares of replacement habitat and woodland nearby. The studio will also have a central canal, and the buildings will have a “fabric first approach” that claims to lower operational and embodied carbon.

The plan has been supported by Sweco (Structures, Civil and MEP), McFarlane + Associates (Landscape), Lichfields (Planning), RSK Wilding (Environmental) and DLP (Transport/Highways). It is being created by developer VERB and film studio operator Quartermaster.

This story first appeared on Screen’s sister site Broadcast

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