Hertsmere Borough Council (HBC), owners of Elstree Studios, gave the go-ahead on Thursday to demolish the historic stages 7, 8 and 9, used for numerous productions including Indiana Jones and Star Wars, after the discovery of RAAC (reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete) and asbestos.
Stage 7 was used to film numerous scenes in the original Star Wars trilogy including the Lar’s homestead kitchen, Obi-Wan’s cave, various scenes from Jabba’s Palace and many more. Stages 8 and 9 were also used for many scenes too.
The planning committee at Hertsmere Borough Council (HBC) gave the go-ahead at a meeting on Thursday for the demolition of stages seven, eight and nine, which would take place between January and August 2024.
Construction workers found asbestos in the building in 2022.
HBC said the roofs in these buildings – which were first used in the 1960s – “had not only lost their useful life but were in a dangerous state”.
Building experts also say RAAC concrete can deteriorate after 30 years.
HBC, which owns Elstree Film Studios, previously agreed to rebuild the stages in the future, although plans remain unclear.
Ross Whear, head of planning at HBC, said: “If a building came back like-for-like in that location, then the fact there was a building there […] would be a material consideration in the consideration of a new building.”
The three stages have more recently been used for Pointless, The Chase and the feature film Paddington, and the good news is that they will be rebuilt.
