Following last year’s long term deal with Disney, Pinewood Studios have announced a $450 million investment and expansion to its current site to create the Pinewood Studios Experience, a 350,000 sq. ft. attraction generating 3,500 jobs, called Screen Hub UK.
The company said it is the “right moment” for a visitor experience.
Blockbusters and much-loved classics have been filmed at the site – from Oliver Twist and the Carry On series, to thriller Alien and several of the Marvel movies.
Last year, Disney signed a deal to take over 20 stages plus other facilities at the complex for at least a decade, an agreement which came two months after Netflix announced it had taken a long-term lease at Pinewood’s Shepperton Studios.
The Pinewood Group said Screen Hub UK will be a “screen industries global growth hub” based on a 77-acre site to the south and adjacent to the existing world famous studios.
As well as the visitor attraction it will include new film production facilities with “live” links to the experience. Planning is in the very early stages but this might include visits onto a working set, the company said.
A training and skills hub and a creative industries business growth hub are also planned.
It is estimated that it is likely to generate £230m for the economy and £125m for the tourism industry per year.
Chairman Paul Golding said its plan was a response to the government and the Buckinghamshire Local Enterprise Partnership’s (LEP) recognition of the studios as a “major economic asset”.
In its local industrial strategy, the LEP said it would build its plans around the “future elevation and evolution of our global assets”, which include the studios.
“We have been looking at a visitor experience for some time and feel that now is the right moment to bring it forward,” Mr Golding said.“The project will strengthen UK film and bring much needed jobs and spending.”
He added that the company hoped that its planning application, which is currently being prepared, would “receive widespread support”.
This is great news for the UK film industry as demand for production in the UK continues to increase, especially in the London area with new studios being built in Barking and the new Sky Studios in Borehamwood.
