A £750 million proposal to turn a former landfill site in Marlow into a Hollywood-scale film and TV production hub has finally won government approval, ending months of uncertainty and setting up a major clash between national growth ambitions and local resistance.
The project (backed by industry heavyweights Sam Mendes, James Cameron and Paul Greengrass) was rejected by Buckinghamshire county council last year.
Its developers appealed, only for the case to be “called in” by then–communities secretary Angela Rayner, turning it into an early barometer of how serious Labour is about fast-tracking projects that promise economic firepower.
Hours before the Budget, housing minister Matthew Pennycook said secretary of state Steve Reed had granted planning permission. The green light clears the way for an 18-stage creative campus promising 4,000 jobs alongside a skills academy aimed at training the next wave of production talent.