Planning permission not yet submitted.
A proposal for a large film studio development was released to the press at the end of March 2021. Bidwells submitted these discussion plans to Hertsmere Borough Council, along with the full support of the Department for International Trade and the British Film Commission.
They noted that in 2018 a report by Lambert Smith Hampton stated an industry requirement for 1.9m sq ft of film/high-end TV studio space in the UK. The new developments at Pinewood, Shepperton, Dagenham, Shinfield and Sky/Universal Borehamwood still leave the UK short of sound stages. This new studio site is located just to the north of the new Sky/Universal studios. They are also proposing a large back lot on the other side of Rowley Lane. The Hertswood plans were submitted to the council on behalf of Gilston Investments Ltd, owners of the Wrotham Park Estate near Potters Bar, as part of Hertsmere’s ‘Call for Employment Sites’ launched by the borough’s planning team.
The plans were consulted on and developed during 2021 and a planning application was due to be made in 2022 but sadly I can find no news on that. Construction was to commence in 2023 if permission was granted. According to the Bidwells website, it will take two and a half years to complete, so it is unlikely that these facilities will be available before 2026. The studios will offer over 1 million sq ft of stages, workshops and offices. An hotel and a training academy are also proposed. There will be 21 sound stages – two at 40,000 sq ft, three at 30,000 sq ft and sixteen at 20,000 sq ft.
Incidentally, Bidwells have claimed that this will be the largest film studio in the country but I fear that two or three other studios could legitimately claim that they are larger. Pinewood for example will have over 50 stages within the next few years.
In September 2021 these proposed new film studios were included in Hertsmere Borough Council’s Media Quarter in their draft local plan, which was an encouraging sign that they will be given the go-ahead.
This is a very ambitious scheme and is to be welcomed if the UK is to fully maximise the country’s potential for creating world class films and television drama.
As of March 2024 I can find no information on how this scheme is progressing. I cannot find a planning application on the Herstmere Council website. My guess is that an application will not be made until a decision is made on the neighbouring Sky Elstree North site. If that is given the go-ahead it might bode well for these studios too. Both sites are on the Green Belt. Bidwells state on their website that ‘if planning is granted, a phased construction should see the studios complete within two and a half years.’ A positive sign is that the scheme remains on the Bidwells website, so it still appears to have life in it.
