Ministers approve £750m Marlow Film Studios development after review

Ministers have approved a development to build a £750m Hollywood-style film and TV studios in Marlow, a project that has faced local opposition and been seen as a test of Labour’s appetite to prioritise economic growth.

The Marlow Film Studios project has received high-profile backing from film-makers including the director of 1917, Sam Mendes, the director of Titanic and Avatar, James Cameron, and the Captain Phillips director, Paul Greengrass.

Last year, Buckinghamshire county council rejected the planning application, prompting its backers to lodge an appeal to the national planning body to get the decision overturned.

However, Angela Rayner, the former secretary of state for housing, communities and local government, called in the planning application. The outcome of the review had been seen as a benchmark for Labour’s desire to put economic growth ahead of local opposition, as repeatedly stated by the chancellor, Rachel Reeves.

The proposed creative campus will create 4,000 jobs. Illustration: Marlow Film Studios

On Wednesday – hours before Reeves presented her budget in Westminster – Matthew Pennycook, the housing and planning minister, said the secretary of state, Steve Reed, had agreed to grant planning permission.

The proposed new creative campus, which will create 4,000 jobs, includes 18 sound stages as well as a culture and skills academy.

“The secretary of state’s determination is a real vote of confidence in the UK and in its creative industries,” said Robert Laycock, the chief executive of Marlow Film Studios. “Regenerating a poorly landfilled site to enable new careers and pass on exceptional skills in this world-beating British industry is the right decision. It’s a signal to investors who aim for high-quality development, done in the right way.”

The Save Marlow’s Greenbelt campaign group has opposed the development. Photograph: Maureen McLean/Alamy

A local campaign group opposed to the studio complex, Save Marlow’s Greenbelt, has said the site was not derelict and supported a valuable ecosystem, while its openness helped to protect the character of the Buckingham town and surrounding villages.

In April, the government agreed a deal with the US company Comcast, the owner of Universal Studios, to build its first theme park in Europe in Bedford. The attraction is being built on a 192-hectare (476-acre) site at the former Kempston Hardwick brickworks, and is due to open in 2031.

The government also overruled planning inspectors and approved an almost doubling of capacity at Luton airport, which is expected to be one of the main air hubs used by visitors to the theme park, earlier this year.